And Life Goes On
by Harliquinn
Summary: Kevin and Sammy continue to adjust to their new lives in Four Corners. Meanwhile two visitors to town creat some interesting problems for the peacekeepers. Follows When It Rains and The Runaway. WARNING: May contain disciplinary spanking
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Kevin and Sammy continue to adjust to their new lives in Four Corners. Meanwhile, two visitors to town create some interesting problems for the peacekeepers. Follows When It Rains and The Runaway. WARNING: may contain disciplinary spanking in later chapters.

**Author's Note:** Bits and pieces of this story have been rattling around in my brain for quite a while now. I'm going to do my best to knit them together into something that makes sense. As always, my thanks go out to all of you who have reviewed my stories in the past and have expressed interest in the continuation of my Magnificent Seven storyline. It's your comments and reviews that have inspired me to keep writing.

**CHAPTER 1**

"Dang it," Buck cursed and stuck the thumb he'd just smashed with a hammer into his mouth to suck away the pain. He and the vast majority of the other residents of the town of Four Corners were busy building the town's new schoolhouse. Unfortunately for his thumb, the ladies' man had been distracted by the sight of Betty Lou Harris walking by carrying a bowl of fried chicken to the food table which had been set up under the nearby trees.

"If you ain't careful, Buck, you're gonna break all your fingers that way," J.D. stated, glancing in Buck's direction. He thought it best not to mention that he'd nearly smashed his own thumb earlier when Casey had walked by. Somehow he didn't think Buck would let him live that down.

On the other side of the building, Vin had come down to get another load of shingles for the roof. He had just stepped down off the ladder when Nancy Bishop, the young and very pretty school teacher approached and offered him a tin cup of water. Blushing, he accepted the cup. "Thank you kindly, Ms. Bishop."

"You looked like you could use the refreshment, Mr. Tanner," she stated, blushing a little herself. "It sure seems like we've picked the hottest day of the year to build the school." She glanced around at all of the people who were contributing in some way to the new building. "I can't believe how many people have turned out to help."

Vin handed the tin cup back to her. "It does seem like the whole town is helpin', don't it?"

Accepting the cup, Nancy nodded. "It surely does. I'm looking forward to Kevin being in the classroom on Monday." She just couldn't bring herself to walk away from Vin. She didn't know a lot about his past, only what she'd managed to squeeze out of Mary, but what she had learned intrigued her. And she wanted to spend more time with him. Mary had told her to simply ask Vin to accompany on a walk or a ride, but she was much too shy to do that. She could only hope he felt the same way and would one day act on those feelings.

"I think he's a little nervous about actually attendin' class, but he seems to be lookin' forward to it." A movement from atop the schoolhouse caught Vin's attention and he looked up to see Nathan looking over the edge of the roof.

"You gonna stand around all day jawin' or you gonna bring up another load 'a shingles?" the dark-skinned healer demanded. He smiled as he drew back out of sight. It was good to see Vin sweet on someone, and the pretty little school teacher would be good for him.

"Oh," Nancy exclaimed. "I didn't mean to keep you. I'll let you get back to work. I really appreciate what you and your friends are doing."

Vin smiled at her. "You're welcome, Miss Bishop." He started to move toward the rope and sling that had been dangled over the roof.

Nancy watched as he placed a stack of shingles in the sling. She swallowed hard and spoke before she could lose her nerve. "Maybe I'll see you at dinner this evening."

Vin hefted another stack of shingles, but stopped before he reached the sling. "I'd like that." Nancy smiled and nodded before turning to walk off.

Kevin watched the entire exchange between Vin and Miss Bishop from across the school yard where he and a number of other boys were sanding boards that would be used to make benches and desks. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he wasn't sure he liked what he saw.

Chris was at the edge of the school yard helping to cut shingles. To someone who didn't know him well, he looked relaxed and at ease. However, he was still on alert to what was going on around him. Because of that, he knew the moment Vin had stepped down off the ladder and had watched, with interest, the exchange between his friend and Miss Bishop. Although, like Kevin, he was too far away to hear what was being said, the school teacher's interest in the tracker was evident to anyone who cared to look. He wondered how long it would be before Vin realized he was just as interested in the young woman.

Chris glanced over to where Sammy along with Casey and a couple other teenage girls were organizing several young children into a game of blind man's bluff. He was proud of Sammy and the way she had seemed to be settling in ever since their trip to his ranch outside of Eagle Bend. He returned to work, only to stop a few moments later when Mary approached. He smiled when he noticed the cup she was carrying.

"I thought you might be thirsty," she said, offering him the cup.

Chris accepted the cup with a nod and drank the cool water. "Thanks, I needed that." He handed the cup back to Mary and glanced around. "It seems to be going pretty well. We should have the exterior of the schoolhouse up by supper time. It'll probably take a few days to get the inside done, but you'll need fewer people for that."

Mary nodded. "I'm really surprised at the number of people who turned out for this. I suppose everyone is anxious to have a dedicated building for the school. I know Nancy is excited about it, not that she's minded holding classes in Josiah's church." Mary stopped and smiled slightly. She, too, had watched the earlier meeting between Nancy and Vin. "Do you suppose Vin will ever get around to spending some time with Nancy? I think you ought to encourage him to ask her out."

Chris nearly choked in surprise. That had been the last thing he'd expected Mary to bring up. "Maybe we oughtta just leave them alone and let them figure it out in their own time."

"Maybe," Mary responded, noncommittally. Maybe, she thought, it was time to see what she could do to bring the tracker and the school teacher together. She cared for Vin a great deal, and wanted to see him happy.

XXOOXXOOXXOO

Two days later . . .

"Why do I have to go to school?" Kevin asked when Vin woke him up that morning. "Can't I just keep getting my lessons here?"

Vin pulled the boy up and stood him on his feet. "Nathan said yer well enough to start attendin' class, so yer goin' to school. Besides, Billy and yer other friends are gonna be there, and you'll learn lots 'a new stuff."

"But I learn lots 'a new stuff here, and Billy can come over after school."

Vin wondered why the boy was so dead set against starting school that morning. The night before Kevin had seemed so excited it was a wonder he'd fallen asleep. Now it seemed he was afraid of something. Vin sat down on the side of his bed, and pulled Kevin to stand in front of him. "What's wrong, Buddy?"

"Nothin', I just don't want to go to school. That's all." Kevin squirmed a little under Vin's assessing stare. He was able to withstand it only a few seconds before giving in. "What if everybody knows more 'n I do? They'll all think I'm dumb or something."

Ah, Vin thought, now they were getting to the meat of the matter. "You've been getting' the same lessons at home as ever'body else yer age has been gettin' in class. You ain't dumb, and I don't want to hear you say that again. If'n someone calls you that, you prove 'em wrong, you got me?"

Although he wasn't convinced that something bad wasn't going to happen, Kevin nodded.

"Good. Now get dressed and come down for breakfast." Vin gestured to the neatly folded pants and shirt that were lying on top of the dresser. Mrs. Patterson had pressed them the day before so they would be nice and neat for Kevin's first day of school. "Ya got ten minutes, then I want you at the table fer breakfast, okay?" he asked, walking toward the door.

"Okay," Kevin replied sourly and moved to the dresser. He still wasn't sure he wanted to go to school, but he knew better than to argue with Vin about it. Reluctantly, he dressed and made his way down to the dining room, where he found Vin, along with Chris and Sammy, waiting on him. Mrs. Patterson had made his favorite breakfast of flapjacks and sausage to celebrate his first day of school.

Sensing how nervous the boy was, Sammy regaled him with tales of going to school in the one-room school house in the town she was from in Iowa. Although she made it sound like fun, Kevin wasn't convinced.

After breakfast was over and a round of well wishes from everyone who had joined them at the dining room table, Vin and Kevin left the boarding house to make their way over to the church. As Chris had predicted, the exterior of the new school house had been completed during the school raising, but the interior still needed quite a bit of work. Since the space inside the building was limited, that meant fewer people would be able to do the work. Still, it was anticipated that the new school would be ready for students within a couple of weeks.

"I don't guess I gotta tell you to be good and do what Miss Bishop tell ya, do I?" Vin asked as he and Kevin neared the church. The tracker figured enough had been said about school being fun that he didn't need to repeat the advice. Besides, Vin decided, he didn't know whether school would be fun or not, never having experienced it himself, so he didn't want to put himself in a position of having inadvertently lied to the boy.

"No, sir," Kevin responded.

Before he could make another attempt at being allowed to continue his education at home rather than in the classroom, Miss Bishop stepped out onto the stoop to ring the bell to call the students into the building. She grinned when she saw Vin and Kevin making their way toward the steps.

She gave Vin a shy smile and turned to greet Kevin. "It's wonderful to see you this morning, Kevin. Why don't you go on in and join the others? I'm sure Billy would like to show you where you will be sitting. I'll be in to help you get settled in just a moment."

Kevin reluctantly did as he was told and entered the church. He wondered if the knot that had built up in his stomach would go away or just grow bigger. At least part of his fear was dissolved when he pushed open the door to the church and was immediately surrounded by Billy Travis and the Miller brothers. Even some of the boys who Kevin hadn't yet met joined in the greeting.

The fact that he lived with a number of the peacekeepers and had survived being shot gave Kevin a kind of hero status among several of his classmates. While this hero status brought out admiration in most of the boys in the room, there were those who resented it. Kevin was so wrapped up in their welcome that he failed to notice the two boys standing off to the side of the room.

The warm greeting was cut short when Miss Bishop entered the improvised classroom and called her students to order. "I don't suppose I need to introduce your new classmate. You all already seem to know who he is, and I'm very proud of you for making him feel so welcome." She turned to Kevin. "Why don't you take a seat in that first bench," she said, pointing to the bench where Billy Travis, Larry Miller, and a boy Kevin learned was named Joshua Smith, were sitting. It took several minutes for the students to settle down into their morning routine.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone for all of the reviews and alerts for this story. It's your comments that keep me writing, so keep them up.

See Chapter 1 for warnings and disclosures.

**CHAPTER 2**

Chris cursed viciously when he approached the boarding house and saw who was sitting on the front porch with Sammy. When word had gotten around that there was a pretty new girl living in Four Corners, young men had begun coming out of the wood work hoping to court her. His reputation and those of the other peacekeepers had been enough to scare most boys off as soon as they found out who Sammy's guardian was. For the most part, Chris didn't regret that. Of the handful who had been willing to risk the wrath of Chris Larabee, there were a couple he actually liked and didn't mind her spending time with. The young man sitting on the front porch with Sammy at that moment wasn't one of them.

He couldn't decide if the teenager was brave or just plan stupid to keep hanging around. Martin Williams had a cocky attitude that Chris didn't care for to go along with a reputation for causing trouble. In fact, he was suspected of the beatings of more than one prostitute in Eagle Bend. To be honest, Chris was surprised the boy hadn't already spent some time in one of his jail cells. He certainly didn't want him around Sammy and had already expressed his opinion on the matter to both Sammy and Martin.

Chris started up the porch steps, but before he could confront Martin he was interrupted by the sound of running feet. He turned to see Kevin, Billy, and Joshua Smith skid to a halt beside him.

"Where's Vin?" Kevin asked. For the last week, since Kevin had started school, the tracker had been waiting on the front porch of the boarding house when the boy got home.

"He and Josiah went out to the Reservation. Kojay asked them to come out and help settle a dispute." The two peacekeepers were among the few white men the tribe trusted and often went to help out when needed.

"When's he gettin' back?"

Chris heard the question that Kevin really wanted to ask, but was afraid to – was Vin coming back? This wasn't the first time Vin had had to leave Kevin in Chris's care while he had to go out of town on business, but it was the first time Vin had had to leave without talking to the boy first. "Should be home sometime tomorrow or Sunday at the latest," Chris answered. "Is there something you wanted?"

Kevin looked at his two friends. "Yeah, Joshua wants to know if Billy and I can go out to his place to play tomorrow. His pa's in town and said it was okay with him if Vin and Mary agreed."

"Well, I can't talk for Mary, but I don't see any problem with it. I think J.D. is heading out to Nettie's in the morning. If he's willing, he can drop you two off and pick you up on his way home. We'll have to ask him." Chris turned to the Joshua, who stood a little back from the other two. "Tell your pa to meet me over at the Clarion in about twenty minutes and we'll all discuss it."

The three young boys readily agreed and turned to race off to find Alonzo Smith, Joshua's father, but Chris stopped them. "Kevin, where's your sling?" Nathan had recently pronounced Kevin's shoulder healed enough to begin going without his sling in the evenings. But he was still expected to wear it during the day when he was in school or out playing.

"Ah, Chris," Kevin whined, "it gets in the way." He pulled the offending triangle of fabric out of the deep back pocket of his overalls.

"That's too bad, you're going to wear it or you're gonna go inside for the rest of the evening," Chris stated in a tone that clearly indicated that he didn't want to hear any arguments on the matter. "Which is it going to be?"

Grumbling, Kevin pulled the sling over his head and settled his injured arm into it. "Gettin' shot really stinks."

Chris couldn't help but smile at the boy's comment. "Yeah, it does. Just keep that in mind the next time you take it into your head to run out into the middle of a gun fight." He stepped forward, turned Kevin around, and gave him a light swat on the butt. "Go on and find Joshua's father. Find J.D. while you're at it so we can ask him of he'll take you."

All three boys took off for a run in the direction of the Sheriff's Office, where they were most likely to find J.D.

"Slow down before you run somebody over," Chris yelled after them. He smiled as the boys immediately slowed to a brisk walk. He knew that as soon as they thought they were out of sight they'd start running again. Chris shook his head. At least they were sticking to the edge of the street, where they'd be less likely to run into someone than if they'd been running down the sidewalk. _I must be getting' soft_, he thought before turning his attention back to Sammy and Martin.

As he mounted the steps he heard Martin ask Sammy if she wanted to go for a ride with him the following afternoon. Chris answered no at the same time Sammy said yes. Ignoring Martin for the moment, Chris turned a stern look to Sammy. "You aren't goin' anywhere with him." As with Kevin only a few moments earlier, Chris' tone of voice clearly indicated that his pronouncement was final.

Sammy started to say something, but Chris's raised eyebrow warned her of the inadvisability of that action. Instead, she sat back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest and returned the gunman's glare.

"Fine," Chris stated and turned to Martin. "I thought I told you I didn't want you hangin' around Sammy."

Martin just shrugged. He was just arrogant enough to think that, despite his deadly reputation, the black-clad gunman really wouldn't do anything to him. He was wrong.

Chris saw red. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what Sarah's father had felt when Chris had started stiffing around his daughter. He took two steps and grasped the young man by the front of his shirt and pulled him up to his toes so that they were eye-to-eye. In a hard, menacing voice that was barely above a whisper, he growled, "you should know I've killed men for less. I catch you within ten feet of Sammy ever again and I won't hesitate to put a bullet in you."

Sammy rushed forward to attempt to assert herself between Martin and Chris. She had seen Chris angry before, but she had never seen him livid. Now she knew why people feared him. "Chris, don't."

Chris glanced at her and simply said, "Sammy, stay out of this. It's between me and Martin. Isn't that right?" he asked, glaring at the young man who now wore a stunned expression.

"Yes, sir."

Sammy reluctantly backed off and Chris stepped back from Martin, letting go of his shirt. "Go on, get out of here."

Martin wasted no time in running off the porch of the boarding house and hightailing it down the street to the livery.

"How could you do that to me?"

Chris turned to look at Sammy. "You have no business being around that boy. He's dangerous – the kind of dangerous that could get you seriously hurt or killed. I don't want you seeing him again. You understand me?"

Sammy's response was to glare at him. He moved to tower over her. His temper had just enough edge to it at the moment that he wasn't above using intimidation to get what he wanted. "I asked you a question, young lady, and I expect an answer. Or do we need to continue this conversation inside?"

Sammy had no doubt what he was alluding to and decided this wasn't a battle that was worth fighting. "I understand." She couldn't quite hide the spitefulness in her voice, but Chris chose to ignore it.

"Good, because I know I don't have to tell you what will happen if I find out you've disobeyed me on this, do I?"

"No, sir."

Chris pulled Sammy into a hug. "I know you think I'm being harsh, but that young man is somebody you really don't need to be spending time with. Unless he changes course, in a few years he's going to be as bad as the Slaters and the members of their gang. You deserve better than that."

Sammy nodded against Chris's chest. If the truth were to be known, she really hadn't like Martin all that much and, in fact, had been talking to him mainly to annoy Chris. She'd been sitting on the porch reading when Martin had sat down beside her. She knew perfectly well her guardian wanted her to have nothing to do with the teenager, but she couldn't seem to help herself. Really, she'd only agreed to go for a ride with Martin to spite Chris. Because she knew even as she accepted the invitation that he'd never let her do it.

A few minutes later, Chris left the boarding house and headed toward the Clarion to discuss the adventure the boys had planned for the following day. He ran into J.D. as he mounted the steps to the porch.

"What's up, Chris?" J.D. asked. "Kevin and Billy asked me to meet you here."

"You still plannin' on headin' out to Nettie's in the morning?"

"Yeah, Casey said that fence in the south pasture needs repairing. Since Vin's had to go out to the Reservation, I thought I'd take care of it for her."

Chris laughed. "Not to mention that it would give you the chance to make time with Casey."

J.D. grinned back. "There is that."

Chris continued. "Alonzo Smith's boy, Joshua, has asked Kevin and Billy to come out to their place for the day tomorrow. I've given Kevin my permission, and I'm sure Mary will let Billy go. Would you be willing to drop the boys off on your way out to Nettie's?"

"Sure, Chris, I'd be happy to. I'm glad to see Kevin's makin' friends in school."

The two peacekeepers entered the newspaper office to find Alonzo Smith deep in discussion with Mary over grazing and water rights. It seemed they were in agreement that the small farmers in the area and just as much right to use unclaimed land for their livestock as the big ranchers. However, they appeared to be in disagreement about how the small farmers should go about enforcing those rights.

Chris cleared his throat to draw their attention. "You made a decision about tomorrow yet, Mary?"

Mary looked confused. "What decision?"

Alonzo Smith blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Travis. We got to discussin' things and I plum forgot the real reason I came by. Joshua would like to have Billy and Kevin out to the house tomorrow. Since there ain't much I need his help with around the farm right now, I thought it'd be a good idea. If'n it's alright with you and Mr. Tanner, that is."

Chris stepped forward. "Vin's out at the Reservation with Josiah. But he left Kevin in my care while he was gone, and it's fine with me. J.D. here is willin' to drop the boys off on his way out to Nettie's and pick 'em up on his way home."

Mary looked at the two men. All three boys had rushed past her just before Alonzo had arrived. The only explanation she had received was that they were going up to Billy's room for a minute. They had yet to come back downstairs. "That sounds fine with me."

Alonzo nodded. "It was a great idea you had, Mrs. Travis, to bring in a school teacher. Joshua's gettin' a chance at an education and to make friends that he wouldn't 'a had if'n he'd had to stay at the farm all the time. I'm just glad that we're close enough that he can ride in ever' morning."

"Yes," Mary replied. "Bringing Miss Bishop here is going to make a difference in a lot of children's lives. They're going to be exposed to opportunities that they never would have had otherwise. I'm just glad Joshua is enjoying the experience."

"He is at that," Alonzo said with a laugh. "Every evening at supper he's full 'a stories about what happened that day." He glanced around as though looking for something or someone. "Any 'a you seen the boys in the last little bit? Joshua and I need to be headin' out."

"They went running through here a little bit ago, saying they were going up to Billy's room. I haven't seen or heard from them since," Mary stated.

Chris moved over to the stairwell and shouted, "Kevin?"

He heard a distant "yeah" in reply.

"You and Joshua get down here. It's time for him and his dad to head out, and you need to get back to the boarding house for supper."

Chris smiled at the sound of scuffling and hurried footsteps sounding in the hallway. The boys had been a mite too quiet, and he wondered what the boys had been planning up there. He figured they were probably up to some sort of mischief, but they would find out soon enough.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Lunch time the following day found Kevin, Billy, and Joshua on the banks of the pond located near the south end of the Smith farm. Lillie Smith, Joshua's mother, had supplied the boys with sandwiches and suggested that they spend their day exploring the area around the pond.

However, they had quickly grown bored. Joshua and Billy had wanted to go swimming, but Kevin didn't know how. The other boys offered to teach him, but Kevin wasn't too keen on the idea. Joshua, not knowing Kevin's background, tried to talk him into it. Instead, Kevin told him the story of how he'd come to live with Vin in Four Corners. Billy had already known some of it from overhearing various conversations between his grandfather, his mother and the peacekeepers. Joshua was enthralled by the story and went on to ask his new friends what it was like living with the scariest men in town.

The story telling entertained the boys through lunch, but afterwards they again grew restless. Remembering the abandoned cabin not far from where they were, Joshua suggested they go check it out. His parents had told him to stay away from it whenever he was out exploring. In fact, the pond was the furthest away from the house he was allowed to venture. But, he figured the three of them would be safe and would be able to make it there and back before it was time to be back at the house for J.D. to pick up Billy and Kevin.

It didn't take the boys long to reach the cabin on the edge of the stand of woods. However, they weren't prepared for what they found there.

They stopped at the edge of the tree line when they spotted the horses tied up outside of the cabin.

"I thought you said it was empty," Billy stated, glancing over at Joshua.

"I thought it was. I ain't heard my pa say anything about anybody livin' in it. It's on our land, so's they'd have ta' have his permission," he responded.

"Well, it ain't empty now," groused Kevin. His shoulder was aching, and that put him in a bad mood. As soon has he'd been out of sight of the house, he'd removed his sling, despite Chris's and J.D.'s reminders to keep it on. "Shut up, somebody's comin' out," he warned.

They watched as three men exited the cabin. One man moved to the horses and untied the reins to one of them. He led it back to porch where the other two men were sitting.

"You sure he's gonna be on the stage?"

"Yeah, I saw him get on it myself. A' course he could be plannin' on gettin' off it 'afore it reaches Four Corners, but I don't think so," one of the men on the porch stated. The boys noticed the gun he'd been holding in his hand for the first time when he pointed it at the man who was now mounted atop the horse. "That's why yer gonna go inta town and wait fer the stage and see if'n he's on it."

The three boys looked at each other. They didn't know what they had stumbled into, but they knew it couldn't be good. These men were after somebody who might be coming in on the stage. Quietly, so the men on the porch wouldn't hear him, Kevin whispered, "we gotta get out of here and let Chris know." The other two boys nodded and they crept as quietly as they could through the woods. Once they thought they were out of earshot they took off running.

The boys were out of breath when they finally ran full tilt into the farm yard. They had timed it perfectly, as J.D. was standing at the front porch chatting with Lillie and Alonzo Smith. His horse and the one Billy had ridden were tied up nearby. All three adults turned to stare at the children as they collapsed in exhaustion at their feet.

"What's goin' on here?" Joshua's father asked. "Why're you boys in such a God-awful hurry?"

Joshua swallowed hard. He was the first to get enough air into his lungs to start talking. "Men . . . in the cabin . . . after somebody on the stage," he said in between panting breaths.

J.D. was instantly on alert. "What?"

Mrs. Smith hurried to the boys with a cup of water. "Here take a drink of this and get your breath back so you can explain to us what you were doin' out at that cabin and what you saw there."

A few more minutes passed, but finally the boys managed to tell the story of what they saw. J.D. immediately gathered Kevin and Billy up and took his leave so he could get to town to warn the other peacekeepers. He was so concerned about what the boys had said that he didn't even notice that Kevin wasn't wearing his sling.

XXOOXXOO

Sammy was restless. She'd been in a bad mood that morning so she'd turned down J.D.'s invitation to go with him out to Nettie's because she was afraid she wasn't fit company for anyone. She was still a little mad at Chris over the way he'd handled Martin the day before. It didn't help matters any that after she'd had a chance to think about it she realized her guardian was probably right about the young man. But, that hadn't lessened the embarrassment she still felt.

She was on her way to find Chris to ask permission to go for a ride. That was another thing that was bothering her, having to ask permission to do anything like a little kid. Sammy would have thought she'd more than earned Chris' trust by now and was old enough to go out for a ride if she wanted to without having to ask first.

As she mounted the steps to the jail, she heard the sound of the stage coach coming in. Thinking that trying to guess where the people getting of the stagecoach were from and why they had come to Four Corners might be worth a few minutes entertainment, she paused.

The first person to step down out of the coach was a man. He was dressed more like J.D. or Ezra than most of the other men around the area. Because of that, Sammy pegged him as having come from back east. She decided she'd have to see which direction he went after he retrieved his belongings before she guessed what his business in Four Corners might be. Probably just a salesman or a gambler, she groused silently as she watched him turn back toward the coach and extend his hand to assist a woman out.

The woman was dressed in a fancy blue gown with a matching hat atop her neatly styled pale blonde hair. She carried a parasol, and as soon as she stood firmly on the ground she opened it to shade her face from the hot sun. Even at a distance and with her limited knowledge of such things, Sammy could tell the woman's attire was expensive. If she had to hazard a guess, she would have bet that the vast majority of the luggage strapped atop the stagecoach belonged to her. She wondered whether the man and woman were together. They certainly looked like they could have been a couple.

Movement down the street caught Sammy's attention. The teenage girl couldn't have been more surprised to see Ezra step off the porch of the Saloon and head across the dusty street. He greeted the woman and, taking her hand, started off with her in the direction of the Virginia Hotel.

Sammy was so engrossed in wondering who the woman was and what her connection to Ezra might be that she didn't notice when the man who had been the other passenger on the stage turned and started walking toward the jail. She jumped slightly at his greeting.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay," she replied. "I was lost in thought. Is there something I could do for you?"

Up close the man looked to be in his early twenties. She'd been right about his attire, it was more eastern than what the men around Four Corners, with the exception of J.D. and Ezra, usually wore. Sammy couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something familiar about him.

"I'm hoping you might be able to tell me where I can find Chris Larabee. The stagecoach driver told me to check here or over at the saloon." He grinned up at her. "I saw you standing here and thought I'd come here first."

Sammy bristled a little at the complement. Plus, she didn't like the idea of somebody looking for Chris. It could only mean trouble of one kind or another. "That depends on who's looking."

"I'd like the answer to that question myself," Chris stated from behind her. Sammy had been so intent on people watching and her conversation with this stranger that she hadn't even sensed him standing there. Chris put a hand on Sammy's shoulder and moved to stand in front of her, shielding her with his body in case this stranger had trouble on his mind.

"No need to do that," the stranger stated, "I'm not looking for trouble. I'm just looking to talk with Chris Larabee." He thought the man standing in front of him was Chris, but it had been so long since he'd seen him that he couldn't be certain.

"You found him," Chris said, crossing his arms over his chest. Something about this young man was causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up, and he didn't like the feel at all. "Who the hell are you."

"Well, I don't suppose you'd recognize me. After all it has been a bit more than twenty years since you left home."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Chris demanded.

"I'm your baby brother, Aaron."

The revelation momentarily stunned Chris. That had been the last thing he'd been expecting the man to say. Taking a closer look, he began picking out the familiar features – his father's stubborn chin, his mother's nose, the green eyes that were an exact match to his own. Chris had been about twenty when he'd finally had enough of his bible-thumping father's holier than thou ways. He'd tried to persuade his mother to bring his younger sister and brother and come with him, but she'd refused. He had tried to keep in touch the first couple of years, but after that he'd lost touch with his family back in Indiana. It was entirely possible that this young man really was his younger brother. Still, he was cautious. "How do I know you're really who you say you are?"

"Are we going to stand out here and discuss our business in the middle of the street, or perhaps we should step inside," Aaron stated, mounting the steps to the porch.

Chris stood back and gestured for the man to proceed him. However, he stopped Sammy before she, too, could enter the building. "You go on back to the boarding house. Until I know for sure who he is, I ain't gonna trust him. I don't want you in harm's way."

Sammy gave a short laugh. "Yeah, why am I not surprised. Pat me on the head and send me off to hide like a good little girl. Don't want to take the slightest chance that I might get a hair out of place or stump my toe." She nearly succeeded in evading Chris as he made a grab for her arm. "I'm going for a ride. I'll be back later."

"Young lady, you ain't goin' anywhere but back to the boarding house if you know what's good for you." He didn't know what had suddenly gotten into the girl, but he didn't like the attitude she was sporting. If he didn't need to get to the bottom of the man claiming to be his brother, he'd demand answers from her. "You understand me?"

She tried to pull her arm out of his firm grasp. "Answer my question."

"Yes, sir," she said snidely.

J.D., with Kevin riding in front of him, chose that moment to ride up to the building. He jumped down from his horse and quickly pulled Kevin out of the saddle. Once Kevin was on the ground J.D. did the same with Billy. "You boys head on home and stay there," the young gunman instructed, drawing a curious stare from Chris. It was the first time Chris had ever heard the young man issue orders to the two boys. Something was up, and Chris was sure he wasn't going to like it.

"Chris," J.D. said as he made his way up onto the porch. "We've got a problem."

TBC

Author's Note: Other than a mention of a log-splitting contest in Indiana when he was a teenager, nothing was ever said on the show about Chris' background, so I've decided to invent one for the purposes of this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**See Chapter 1 for warnings and disclosures.**

**CHAPTER 4**

"What's going on?"

J.D. looked from Chris to the two boys. "They were out at the old cabin on Alonzo Smith's farm and overheard some men making plans for someone who is supposed to be coming in on the stage."

He turned his gaze to the two boys. Neither Billy nor Kevin would look him in the eye. Instead, they studied the ground as they shifted from foot to foot. There was something more going on here than he was being lead to believe.

"Look at me," he directed.

Both boys reluctantly raised their eyes to his.

"Tell me what you know about this."

"We got bored at the pond, so we decided to go out to the cabin," Billy stated. Chris was pretty sure from the boys' manner that the cabin wasn't someplace they were supposed to be, but he would let that go. "When we got there, we saw the horses tied up outside. Joshua said he didn't think those men belonged there."

Kevin glanced at Billy, then back to Chris. He then picked up the story. "An' then these men came outta the cabin and started talkin' about watchin' for some guy who was supposed to be on the stage." He again glanced at Billy, who nodded in agreement.

"One of the men had a gun, and pointed it at the other man who left to come to town to make sure he was on the stage."

Chris was concerned. Those men at the cabin weren't looking for this other man for anything good. "Did you happen to hear anyone mention a name?"

"Nah," Kevin responded. "We got outta there as fast as we could. We knew it was time for J.D. to come, and we thought we oughtta tell somebody."

J.D. looked up at Chris. On their way into town they'd passed the stagecoach as it was heading out. If this mystery man had, in fact, been on the stage, they'd have a hell of a time finding him before those other men did. "I wonder who those men are looking for," he stated.

"That would probably be me," came a voice from the doorway of the jail.

J.D. and Chris turned as one to look at the stranger.

"Who're you?" J.D. demanded.

"Aaron Larabee."

Confused, J.D. turned to look at Chris. The two young boys also wore curious expressions.

"You boys get on home now and stay there," Chris directed. He knew he was probably inviting trouble by not giving Kevin and Billy an explanation regarding this stranger who claimed to be his brother, but he would take his chances.

Reluctantly, the boys began to move in the direction of the Clarion. A call from Chris stopped them.

"Kevin, you get back to the boarding house, and you'd best be there when I come looking for you." At the boy's confused look, he continued, "Don't think I haven't noticed you ain't wearin' that sling the way you're supposed to. We're gonna be having us a talk about that."

Kevin swallowed. He wasn't positive, but he thought he knew what Chris was implying. "Yes, sir."

Chris watched the boys for a moment before turning back to J.D. "Go round up Buck and Nathan. I'll get Ezra. We'll meet up here and get to the bottom of this." He glanced at Aaron. "You wait for us inside."

Aaron nodded. He didn't know the man his brother had become, but he knew the voice of authority when he heard it. He also knew from what he'd been told when he'd been looking for Chris that this was not a man to be disobeyed.

Later, when the five peacekeepers and Aaron Larabee were gathered in the jail, Chris got straight to the point. "Kevin, Billy, and Joshua Smith overheard three men making plans for someone who was supposed to have come in on the stage. Since only two passengers got off it when it came in today, and seeing as how one of them was Maude, it's pretty easy to narrow down who it might be."

"And who might that be, Chris. And while we're at it, who is this guy?" Buck asked, gesturing toward Aaron, who had taken up position in the corner.

Aaron stepped forward. "I'm Aaron Larabee . . ."

"My younger brother," Chris interrupted, sending a hard look at the younger man. Although he wasn't about to trust this stranger, he was going to take it on face value that he was who he claimed to be. The family resemblance was too strong to ignore.

"Your brother? I didn't know you had a brother," Nathan stated, straightening up in his chair.

Chris only shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

"As charming as this family reunion is," Ezra interrupted, "I do believe we have more pressing matters to which to attend."

"What makes you think those men are after you?" Buck asked.

"After our father died last year, I decided to sell the farm and come out west to look for Chris. I'd heard that he was down in this area, and I had made my way to Ridge City. I had a day or so to kill before the stage, so I decided to join a poker game at one of the saloons. One of my fellow players took exception to the fact that I was willing and accused me of cheating. It came to drawn guns – I was faster. Anyway, as his friends dragged him away, he shouted that it wasn't over between us." Aaron shrugged. "As you said, other than the lovely Maude, I was the only other passenger on the stagecoach. It stands to reason that I'm the one he's after."

Chris spared a glare for his younger brother. "If it's even the same man. You catch his name?"

"He introduced himself as Clint, and the other two as Levi and Seth. I got the impression that the three of them were friends."

"What did you win from Clint that made him so angry," Ezra asked, studying the young man. He judged Chris's brother to be in his early twenties – maybe only a year or two older than J.D. "While losing money in a poker game will make a man angry, it generally will not make one homicidal. Usually, it takes something more than that. What was it?"

Aaron stared at the man who was obviously a gambler. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Chris snorted. He might not know his brother, but anyone could tell he had just lied through his teeth. The black-clad gunman moved to stand in front of his brother. Chris was a couple of inches taller, and used the height difference to his advantage. "If you want our help in this, you'd best start being straight with us. Otherwise, brother or not, you're on your own."

Aaron swallowed hard. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it hadn't been this show of temper. His brother was bit too much like their father in that regard for his liking. He looked into Chris's eyes and saw the older man was quickly running out of patience. Digging into the inside pocket of his jacket, he came out with a small envelope. Opening it, Aaron dumped a large red stone into the palm of his hand. Ignoring the curses that filed the room, he grinned. "It could be that this is what Clint is after."

Chris watched as Aaron returned the ruby to its envelope and tuck back into his jacket pocket. "You cheat to win that?" He hoped he knew what the answer would be.

"No," Aaron responded almost immediately. "I didn't have to. Clint and his friends couldn't play worth shit."

Chris nodded. He was willing to take Aaron on his word – at least for now. Turning back to his fellow peacekeepers he said, "anybody notice any strangers in town the last little bit?"

"There ain't no guarantee this guy even made it into town before the stage left." J.D. stated after everyone said they hadn't seen anyone. "I mean, the boys and I passed the stage headin' out as we were comin' into town. He couldn't have had that much of a head start on us."

"The kid's right," Buck said. "We don't know if any 'a those guys are even in town. Besides, how would we know if they were. I mean, we get strangers through here all the time."

"Buck's got a good point," Nathan interjected.

"Aaron is going to take a room over at the hotel, and if he sees one of these guys in town, he's gonna let one of us know." Chris looked first at his brother, then at the other peacekeepers. "Anybody got a problem with that?"

When no one expressed a problem, Chris picked his hat up off the desk and headed toward the door. "Good. Now, I've got unfinished business with Kevin."

Slightly curious, Aaron stopped J.D. on his way out the door. "Who's Kevin, and what unfinished business does Chris have with him?"

J.D. turned to study the other man. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about this new situation. He had grown to think of Chris Larabee as an older brother, and he had hoped Chris had felt the same way about him. But, this man had arrived claiming to be Chris's real younger brother, and J.D. couldn't help but feel threatened by it – even if he didn't or couldn't admit that to himself.

"Chris is watchin' over Kevin while Vin's out at the Reservation, and the way I figure it, their unfinished business ain't none 'a your concern." J.D. stepped through the door and walked off in the direction of the saloon.

Aaron went off in search of a room. Maybe he'd try to find one over one of the saloons rather than at a hotel, he thought. Sensing J.D.'s animosity, he wondered, not for the first time, whether his decision to come looking for his brother was one he would end up regretting.

XXOOXXOO

After Ezra had left her at the hotel, Maude had decided that a hot bath would be the perfect way to relax before spending the rest of her evening in the saloon. So she packed a bag with the items she would need and set off down the street, only to come to an abrupt halt as she passed the boarding house.

It was the music pouring out of the building that caught her attention. She had never heard a piano played in quite that way before. Maude had to know who was playing. All thoughts of her hot bath fled as she mounted the steps to the front porch. Instead, her thoughts were filled with all the money she could make by acting as the as yet unknown musician's agent through promotion and concert tours. Whoever it was would definitely become a star.

She was little surprised to walk in the parlor and find a teenage girl at the instrument. The girl was oblivious to everything but the music, which evoked anger and uncertainty. Maude stood in the doorway and listed for several moments, lost in the emotion of the music.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a young boy lying on his back on the floor in the corner of the room. "I don't like that one, Sammy. Play something happy."

Maude saw this as her chance. "Yes, please do. I'd love to hear you play something else."

Sammy had been about to tell Kevin that if he didn't like what she was playing he could leave, but at the sound of the stranger's voice she stopped playing completely.

"Oh, please don't stop," Maude stated, stepping further into the room. "I'm sorry I interrupted, please go on."

"Who are you?" Sammy asked, coming to her feet. Kevin had also come to his feet and was now standing beside Sammy, his good arm wrapped around her waist.

Maude smiled and laughed. "How rude of me, I'm Maude Standish," she said, stepping forward and extending her hand to Sammy. "I was walking by and heard you playing, I couldn't resist coming inside."

Sammy wasn't sure about this stranger, but her manners had her accepting Maude's handshake and introducing herself and Kevin. "I'm Sammy Browning and this here is Kevin Tanner." It finally dawned on Sammy that this was the woman she had seen get off the stagecoach and walk off with Ezra. "Standish? Are you any relation to Ezra?"

"Why, yes I am," Maude was delighted. The fact that this child was familiar with Ezra could only help. "I am his mother." She glanced around the parlor and returned her gaze to the girl.

"I don't believe I've seen you in town during my prior visits. Are you living here with your parents?"

"No, my parents are dead," Sammy stated. She wasn't sure she was comfortable with the direction of this conversation. Her gut was telling her to be wary of this woman. "I'm livin' here because Chris Larabee is my guardian."

"Oh," Maude was suddenly taken aback. That put a whole new spin on her plans. It would be extremely difficult to convince Mr. Larabee to agree to allow Sammy to go on a concert tour. Still, she wasn't known for giving up easily when she wanted something. She decided to turn the topic of conversation in that direction. "My dear, you play simply wonderfully. Have you performed anywhere?"

The front door opening caught Sammy's attention and she watched as Chris and Vin walked in. She nearly grinned when she saw Chris's expression change when he caught sight of Maude. She answered Maude's question as though nothing had changed. "Only over at the saloon a time or two," she said, straight faced.

Chris suspected he knew exactly what Sammy was up to. He glanced over at Vin, who nodded and grinned.

The thought that this might be easier than she expected crossed Maude's mind. If Chris Larabee had allowed this child to perform in a saloon full of men, surely he would have no objection to her going on a concert tour – supervised by Maude, of course. "Well, I'm surprised Mr. Larabee would allow such a thing, or was it before he became your guardian."

Sammy grinned. "Oh, he was already my guardian. Ezra and Buck were there also." She decided not to mention that it had been during the day, when the number of patrons was much lower than at night, or the fact that Chris had been appointed her guardian only a few minutes before.

"I see. Well, perhaps we could sit down one day and discuss whether or not you would like to perform elsewhere. Say, like on a concert tour?"

Sammy could barely keep from grinning. Maude Standish had been so obvious about her interest that Sammy had known exactly where the conversation was heading. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Besides," she continued, looking past Maude to meet Chris's gaze, "I don't think Chris likes that idea very much."

"You're right," he said, stepping into the room. "I don't like the idea very much. And, as I've already told Ezra, I ain't gonna let you make money off 'a her."

Maude tried not to let Chris see that he had startled her. "But you've allowed her to play in a saloon. I can assure you, what I have in mind would be much more appropriate venues for a young lady."

"Her performance in the saloon was under special circumstances that ain't likely to be repeated. Now, if you would excuse us," Chris stated, "we have some family business to take care of."

Insulted at the dismissal, Maude turned back to Sammy. "It was a pleasure to hear you play. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to enjoy your music again in the near future." Turning, she brushed pass Chris and nearly bumped into Vin on her way out the door.

"Well, don't that beat all," Vin stated as he walked into the parlor.

Kevin detached himself from Sammy and ran across the room. "Vin, you're home!"

Vin stooped and swept the boy up into his arms for a hug. He didn't miss Kevin's wince of pain from his sore shoulder. Setting the boy on his feet, Vin crouched in front of him. "I ran inta Chris outside, and he told me you ain't been wearin' your sling like you're supposed ta'. Is that why your shoulder's hurting?"

Kevin started to say that his shoulder wasn't hurting, but the looks on Chris's and Vin's faces quickly convinced him that lying about it would only make things worse. He nodded.

Vin stood. "Well, Chris, whatta you think? You're the one he disobeyed, what do you think his punishment should be?" He and Chris had already discussed this very topic and had decided that the best punishment would be to allow Kevin to suffer the consequences of his actions – the pain in his shoulder and a trip to see Nathan to make sure he hadn't done any real damage to it, which would involve the inevitable lecture from the healer.

Kevin looked worriedly from Vin to Chris. "It won't happen again. I'll wear it from now on, I promise."

Chris nodded and moved to take Vin's place, crouching down in front of the boy. "You knew you were to wear that sling, didn't you?'

"Yes, sir," Kevin stated, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"And your shoulder is hurting now because you didn't wear it."

Kevin nodded.

"What have you learned from this?" Chris asked, studying Kevin's face.

"That I gotta wear the sling so my shoulder don't hurt."

Chris grinned and stood. "I think he's learned his lesson. A sore shoulder serves as just as good a teacher as a sore backside would." Turning back to Kevin, he continued, "But, I think Nathan oughtta take a look at that to make sure you didn't do any damage."

Kevin paled slightly. He liked Nathan, but he didn't like the idea of the vile tasting concoctions the healer might force on him. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you have to," Vin answered, not bothering to hide his grin.

"Ah, man," Kevin said. "I shoulda worn the sling, even though it go in my way. It just ain't worth it."

"I think that's the point," Chris responded, grinning.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: This chapter contains disciplinary spanking. If that isn't your thing or you are offended by it, please do not read it. **

**Thanks to everyone for their comments and reviews. Keep them coming!**

**CHAPTER 5**

"Thank you for inviting me to tea, Mrs. Travis," Nancy Bishop stated as she followed Mary up the stairs into the living quarters above the _Clarion_ office. It was Wednesday and school had just let out for the day only a few minutes before.

"Please, call me Mary." Mary smiled and gestured for her guest to take a seat at the table. "We aren't very formal here."

Nancy nodded. "Mary. This town is a world away from what I'm used to, and I'm still trying to adjust."

Mary placed a plate of sandwiches on the table and turned back to the counter to retrieve the teapot. She sat and poured fragrant hot tea, a luxury in which she frequently indulged, into rose-patterned cups. As she handed one of the cups to Nancy, she asked, "if I remember correctly, you are from back east, aren't you?"

Nancy took a sit of the tea and smiled in pleasure. She had gotten used to drinking coffee, but much preferred tea. "Yes. I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and attended the Morehead Normal School. When I learned about the job opening here, I saw it as a great opportunity to not only indulge in my desire to travel but to bring the endless opportunities available with an education to the children of this town." She had a far away look on her face when she paused for a moment. Turning back to Mary, she continued, "there's nothing like the feeling I get when a child understands something for the first time or seeing the wonder of a child's face when he or she realizes the possibilities that lie outside this town and this territory."

Mary nodded. "I was so glad with the town decided to start a school. Especially since that meant that I could bring Billy home for good." She really didn't want to go into the main reason why Billy had been living with Oren and Evie Travis, but at Nancy's curious look she continued, "He had been living with his grandparents for a number of reasons, one of which was so he could attend school." Mary paused to pass the place of sandwiches to the young schoolteacher. "I want Billy to have an education. It was something that was important to both his father and me."

"I've been meaning to visit some of the outlying farms to see if they would be interested in sending their children to town to attend school once the harvest is over." Nancy's eyes fairly glowed with her excitement.

"I don't know," Mary stated. "Some of those farms are pretty far out and it takes so long to get into town that it just wouldn't be practical for the children to ride in everyday to attend class and then ride home."

Nancy nodded. "I know. That's something I want to look into a bit further – whether they would be willing to send their children to town to attend school during the week if I could find someplace for them to stay while they are here. Like having families here in town taking the children into their homes. I haven't quite worked out the details yet, but I want to talk to the people on those farms to get their thoughts on the matter. If anyone is interested, then I'll look into it with the families here in town." She paused to take another bite of her sandwich and drink more of her tea. "I thought I might borrow a horse from the livery and ride out there on Saturday."

This was the perfect opportunity, Mary thought. "If you decide to go, it might not be a bad idea to ask one of the peacekeepers to go with you. Vin or Nathan would be a good choice."

"Oh, I really hadn't thought of that. Why would I need one of them to accompany me?"

"Well, while this area is slowly becoming more civilized, it's still not all that safe for a woman riding that far out of town on her own. Plus, Vin, especially, knows a lot of the owners of the outlying farms. They would be more likely to listen to you if he's along. Some of them are particularly wary of strangers." Mary paused and thought for a moment. "I can ask Vin to accompany you if you would like."

Nancy was secretly thrilled at the idea of having Vin accompany her on her errand. She had been trying to come up with a way to spend more time with the intriguing tracker, but nothing she had though of had worked. "Yes, please do."

XXOOXXOO

The rest of the week didn't go quite as Nancy had hoped. By Friday, she decided something must be in the air because the normally well-behaved children in her classroom had suddenly become a rambunctious handful. It all culminated on Friday afternoon. Hannah Jones had become ill, and Nancy had left the classroom in charge of two of the older boys while she took the girl to the clinic. She returned only to find four of her younger students standing at the blackboard with their noses pressed to a circle and Josiah Sanchez sitting in her chair. Groaning to herself, she stepped into the room and asked, "Mr. Sanchez, has there been a problem here?"

"Yes, ma'am," the large man said as he rose from his desk. "It's probably best if we discuss this outside."

Nancy nodded. It had been her experience that problems with students were best discussed out of earshot of the other children, even when everyone already knew what was going on.

When they stepped out onto the front porch of the church Josiah pulled the door only partway closed so they could still hear what was happening inside. "Will Hannah be okay?"

Nancy nodded. "Mr. Jackson said she should be fine. It's probably just a bug she picked up. Her parents were there with her when I left." She glanced at the partially closed door. "What happened?"

"I came to get a tool that I had left in my room, and when I entered I heard a commotion."

_About half an hour before:_

Josiah entered his living quarters behind the church through the back door. Few people even knew the door existed, and he preferred to keep it that way. For that reason he generally used the front door, but he didn't want to disturb the class. It quickly donned on him as he picked up the tool he'd come to retrieve that the class was already disrupted. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a fight taking place. He stuck the hammer through his belt and hurried into the main room of the church. He immediately spotted four young boys rolling around the floor trying to pummel each other. He cursed when he realized two of the boys were Kevin and Billy. Josiah recognized the other two boys as kids from town, but didn't know their names. There were two older boys trying, unsuccessfully, to break up the fight.

"Just what is going on here," Josiah demanded in a booming voice.

The room fell silent and the four boys fell away from each other. Kevin glanced at Billy and swallowed hard. There was no way that Vin, Chris, and Mary wouldn't hear about this, and he suspected he knew exactly what Vin's response was going to be.

Josiah moved further into the room. Pointing at the two older boys, he said, "you can take your seats now. You four come here." He turned and walked toward the front of the classroom, where a blackboard had been installed. Without turning to look to see if they had followed his instructions, Josiah picked up a piece of chalk and drew four circles spaced more or less equally apart. Although he didn't show it, he was pleased to see the four boys standing behind him. "Pick a circle and put your nose in it. You're going to stand there until Miss Bishop returns, then we will straighten this out." He stepped back to allow the boys access to the blackboard. When he heard giggles he looked up and frowned at the class. The giggles immediately stopped.

"But they started it," said one of the boys, pointing to Kevin and Billy.

"Yeah," said his companion. "We weren't doin' nothin'."

"I don't want to hear it," Josiah responded. "Do what you were told, or I'll settle this right here and now." The meaning of his threat was perfectly clear. Kevin and Billy immediately stepped forward and pressed their noses into two of the circles. The other two boys hesitated, but when Josiah raised his eyebrows and glanced meaningfully at a ruler lying on Ms. Bishop's desk, they too stepped up to the blackboard. Satisfied, Josiah took a seat at the desk and picked up a book he found atop it. "I believe you have work you need to be doing," he stated. Immediately the other students returned to their studies and the room fell silent except for the sounds of pages turning and chalk on slates.

_Present time:_

"Thank you, Mr. Sanchez. I appreciate your help."

Josiah tipped his hat. "Glad to be of service. I'll send Vin, Mary, and the other boys' folk over after school if you want to deal with this then."

Nancy nodded. "I think that would be wise. Thank you, again."

"You're more than welcome. I'll let you get back to your class, and I need to finish some trim work in the new building. We should have it ready for you to move into next week."

After Josiah took his leave, Nancy took a deep breath and re-entered the church. She didn't think she had never heard her students this quiet before. She didn't know if it was Mr. Sanchez' intimidating presence or the anticipation of what might happen to the four misbehaving boys, but she was thankful for the silence. Approaching her desk she stated, "boys you may take your seats now. Mr. Sanchez will be asking your parents or guardians to come here after school. We will deal with your misbehavior then." She sat. "Now, I would like the second level students to bring their primers and come up here for your reading lessons."

The rest of the day went too quickly for Kevin's liking. Before he was ready, Ms. Bishop dismissed the rest of the students for the day. It wasn't long before Vin, Mary and two men he didn't know followed Miss Bishop into the classroom. Kevin felt Vin's gaze, but refused to meet his eyes. He didn't want to see the anger he knew would be reflected there. Vin hadn't exactly told him not to fight, but he had said not to get in trouble, and Kevin figured this was exactly the kind of trouble he had been talking about.

"I sorry to have to bring you all in like this. I know you must be busy. However, there was an incident here this afternoon involving your children."

"Yes, ma'am," Vin stated stepping forward, "Josiah told me about the fight."

"He didn't say anything to me about no fight," interrupted one of the fathers. "He say anything to you?" he asked his companion.

"Nope, he sure didn't."

Both men turned to stare accusingly at Vin. "Just what are you talkin' about, mister?"

Nancy swallowed hard. She had anticipated this becoming confrontational. "I had to take a student to the clinic when she became ill. While I was gone, Mr. Sanchez came back to the church to retrieve a tool he need for something at the new school building and had to break up a fight between your sons. I do not yet know what the fight was about, as I believed it would be better to wait until you were all present before I asked for an explanation."

Vin sent a hard look to the two men, but before he could demand an explanation, Mary stepped forward. "Mr. Sanchez also informed me about the fight, and I for one would like to hear these children tell us what this was about."

"They started it," said one of the boys, jerking his head in Kevin's and Billy's direction.

"Did not," responded Billy and the same time Kevin said, "no, you did."

The boys continued arguing about who had started the fight until a loud whistle pierced the air. Vin stepped forward. "Enough. I want an explanation, and I want it now." When all four boys started talking again, Vin interrupted. "I said enough. One at a time. Kevin?"

Kevin looked at Vin and nearly flinched at the anger he saw in the man's eyes. "I was tryin' to do my work, but Lester and Gus kept talking about how stupid I was to get myself shot and that if you were smart you'd send me away before I ended up gettin' killed. I told 'em to shut up, but they kept callin' me stupid." His eyes met Vin's. "You said not to let anybody call me stupid, so I tried to stop them. That's when Josiah came in."

Vin nodded. It was true that he'd told Kevin not to let anyone call him stupid, but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. "Billy?"

Billy looked first at his mother, then at Vin. He dropped his gaze to the floor. "It happened just like Kevin said." He lifted his gaze to meet his mother's eyes. "I couldn't just sit there and let them call Kevin stupid. It wasn't right. And I couldn't let Kevin fight 'em alone."

Mary nodded. "We'll discuss this at home."

"You two got anything to say?" Vin asked the other two boys. However, their only response was to glare at the tracker.

"Does that answer your question, Miss Bishop?" Vin turned to address the teacher.

"It does. However, the fact remains that all four boys were fighting, which is against school rules. Regardless of who instigated the fight, all four will be suspended until Monday." She turned to address the boys directly. "I hope when you return to class you will have learned how to behave properly. You are dismissed."

"You cain't suspend my boy. You heard what that little bastard said, he's the one who started the fight. Lester was just defendin' himself," Lester's father stepped forward into Miss Bishop's personal space, trying to intimate her.

"Back off," Vin demanded stepping between the school teacher and the angry man. "You heard what she said. All four boys are bein' punished fer breakin' school rules. 'Sides your boy is just as guilty. So I suggest you jest calm down a mite before you end up doin' something you'll regret."

The two men stood chest to chest, neither willing to back down. The tension in the room grew until Mary stepped in between them. "Gentlemen, this is no way to handle this matter. These children are being punished for doing the very same thing you are about to do. What kind of message does that send to them? You need to take your boys and go home."

Vin stepped back. Normally, he wouldn't have backed down from a fight, especially when he thought he was in the right, but Mary did have a point. "Come on Kevin, let's go." He chose to ignore the barely audible "yellow-bellied coward" that was thrown his direction.

Mary sighed and held her hand out to Billy. "You, too. Let's finish this discussion at home."

A few minutes later, Vin led Kevin through the front door of the boarding house. He was slightly surprised to see nobody else around at that time of day. But, he supposed, news of the fight had probably spread among the peacekeepers, and everyone was staying away to give them some privacy. He led the boy up to their room and closed the door.

Vin removed his jacket and hat and tossed them on the chest of drawers. He then sat on the side of his bed and pulled Kevin to stand in front of him. "You know why you're in trouble, don't ya?"

Kevin nodded.

"Tell me," Vin directed.

"I got inna fight at school."

"You wanna talk about why you got inta' that fight?" Vin asked.

Kevin shrugged in response.

"When I told you not to let anybody call you stupid, I didn't mean fer you ta' go gettin' in fights about it. You knew that right?"

Kevin supposed he did know that, but he didn't want to admit it. However, Vin didn't give him a choice. "I asked you a question, and I expect you to answer it."

"Yes, sir, I knew."

"Then why did you start a fight with those boys?"

"They wouldn't leave me alone."

"You should have ignored them until the teacher got back. You could have told her or me about it, and we would have made sure it stopped. Next time they give you problems, you do exactly that, you understand me?"

"Yes, sir." Although Kevin had answered Vin in the affirmative, he knew that those boys would never leave him alone unless he stood up for himself against them. He supposed he'd just have to take his lumps from Vin if it happened again.

"I hope you do, 'cause if I get called over ta th' school again 'cause you've been fightin' I'm gonna use my belt on yer backside."

Kevin swallowed hard and rethought his position on fighting the bullies. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he was afraid it would.

"Now, let's get this over with." Vin pulled Kevin across his lap and landed a hard swat to the center of the boy's backside, causing him to yelp in pain. That swat was followed by several more, and by the time Vin was finished Kevin was sobbing and promising to be a good boy for the rest of his life.

When the spanking was over Kevin sat on Vin's lap, crying into his cotton shirt. After the boy had calmed down, Vin sat him on his feet and looked him in the eye. "Since you ain't gonna be goin' to school tomorrow, you're gonna spend the day here in your room. You can work on yer school work or read one a' yer books, but you ain't to be playin'. We'll talk about how long you gotta stay in your room at dinner tomorrow."

After telling the boy to stay in his room until he was called for dinner, Vin left the room. Not for the first time, the tracker wondered if he was really cut out to be a father.

TBC

**Author's Note:** Since this is fanfiction, which is not necessarily known for its historical accuracy, I've taken a few liberties with the Morehead Normal School. In my mind, Nancy Bishop would have attended the school in the early to mid-1870's. However, in reality the Morehead Normal School was opened in October 1887 by Phebe Button and her son, Frank. Classes were held in a rented house believed to have been located at the current site of the Adron Doran University Center. It continued to operate as a private school until 1922, when through an act of the Kentucky General Assembly it became a public institution. Today, the Morehead Normal School has become Morehead State University. It is located in Morehead, Kentucky, in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest on Interstate 64 about mid-way between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. I won't tell you when, but I did obtain my undergraduate degree from Morehead and count myself among its proud alumnae. In case you aren't familiar with the term, a normal school is a school that trained high school graduates to become teachers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** This chapter contains the disciplinary spanking of a teenager and mention of child abuse. If you are offended by this, please do not read it.

**CHAPTER 6**

Chris sat with his back to the wall in the dim corner of Digger Dan's Saloon. It wasn't where he usually drank, but he wasn't particularly in the mood to socialize at the moment. As he downed a shot of whisky he thought back to the earlier confrontation between himself and Sammy that was largely responsible for this present foul mood. It hadn't helped matters any that Aaron had decided to stick his nose in where it didn't belong. He wondered, not for the first time, what could turn a sweet kid into a raging harridan at the drop of a hat.

_Earlier that day:_

Chris had been sitting outside the jail. It was his turn to pull that duty, and the day was too nice to spend it sitting indoors. He looked up at the sound of footsteps on the wooden sidewalk and watched as Sammy walked toward him. "Hey, you," the gunman greeted when she sat down on the bench beside him.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Sammy spoke. "I'm bored, Chris. Can I go for a ride out to the pond?"

Chris put the knife and piece of wood he'd been whittling on the bench. "Who're you goin' with?"

"Nobody," Sammy replied. "I just want to get out by myself for a while."

"Thought you said you were bored?" Chris gave her an assessing look, trying to decide what game she might be playing.

"I am, but I also want to do some thinking. I can't do that if I'm with someone. Please, can I go?" It still rankled her to have to ask permission like a little child. She knew the threat posed to her by the Slater gang was long since over, and she also knew how to carry and defend herself with a gun if anything should happen. Although, somehow she figured that the latter argument wouldn't win her any points with her guardian.

"Well, you can do your thinkin' right here in town. I don't want you ridin' out alone," Chris stated, the tone of his voice indicating that his decision was final.

"That isn't fair. I'm nearly grown, but you treat me like I'm some little kid. Hell, Vin gives Kevin more freedom than you do me. Do you not trust me or something?"

Chris stood and, grasping Sammy by the arm, pulled her to her feet and propelled her through the open doorway of the jail. Once they were both inside, he slammed the door shut, giving them some privacy. Leaning against the door, he crossed his arms over his chest and studied the girl before him for several long moments before responding, "I ain't Vin and you ain't Kevin. This ain't about you being too young, or a girl, or me not trustin' you."

Sammy returned his glare. "Well, what is it about then?" she interrupted.

"Right now it's about this attitude you're sportin'. I'm done talkin' ta' you about it. Either you drop it right now or you ain't gonna like the consequences."

Turning her back to him, Sammy moved to stand behind the desk. She wanted to kick it or sweep all the papers of its top, but she didn't think such a show of temper would go over very well with Chris. Instead, she settled for muttering, "go to hell. I should have just gone for the ride without asking."

Chris straightened. "What did you just say?" he demanded. He had heard every word, but wanted her to repeat them out loud.

Sammy simply glared at him. From his reaction, she figured she hadn't spoken as softly as she'd thought and he'd heard it all. She wasn't about to repeat it, just in case she was wrong.

"That does it." Chris moved forward and grabbed Sammy's arm. In one smooth movement, he had kicked the chair away from the desk, sat down and pulled her over her lap. The first hard swat landed before the girl had even registered her new position. As his hand continued to deliver its stinging blows, Sammy tried to squirm her way off his lap and out of range of his punishing hand.

"Cool it, unless you want me to use my belt," Chris directed, not pausing.

Sammy didn't trust herself to speak, so she shook her head. She tried to calm her struggles, but wasn't completely successful. Desperate for relief, she threw her hand back, trying to block the swats from landing. Without saying a word, Chris grabbed her wrist and held it at the small of her back and increased the force behind the next several spanks.

After want seem to her to be an eternity, Chris stopped. "I've warned you before about this attitude. You're going to lose it, or the next time we have to have this discussion I'll be using my belt. It that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Sammy's reply was so soft he nearly didn't hear it.

"Good." He pulled her up so that she stood on her feet in front of him. "Just so you know, I don't want you ridin' alone not 'cause I don't trust you, but because I don't trust anyone else. Too many things can happen to you while you're out there on your own." When Sammy started to speak, Chris shook his head and continued. "You might be willin' to take a chance on being able to deal with whatever happens, but I ain't." He paused a moment before continuing, hoping that she completely understood his next statement. "If I ever catch you out ridin' by yourself unless you've gotten permission from me or one of the other boys, the spankin' you just got'll seem like nothing in comparison to what I'll give you. Is that clear?"

The sound of the opening door interrupted before Sammy could answer. She and Chris watched as Aaron stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "What's going on? I could hear the commotion plain as day outside." He didn't say that he'd been standing right outside the window and had actually only barely heard what was happening. Nobody walking by either on the sidewalk or on the street below had given any indication that they even heard what was happening in the jail or, if they did, it was anything to be concerned about.

Chris saw the embarrassment wash over Sammy's face. It was one thing for her to be spanked when others suspected it had happened, but it was completely different for someone, who was still essentially a stranger, to remark on it. "You go on back to the boarding house, and remember what I told you."

Sammy nodded, all too happy to leave the room. She didn't even spare a glance for Aaron as she slipped by him and out the door.

"Don't you think you were a bit hard on the girl?" Aaron moved further into the room.

Chris stood and came to stand in front of his younger brother. "Stay out if it. You don't know anything about Sammy or her situation, so what makes you think you have the right to butt in?"

Aaron shrugged. "I guess you're more like our father than I gave you credit for." He turned to leave the jail, but Chris grabbed his arm and sung him back around.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talkin' about takin' your anger out on a defenseless girl who ain't big enough to fight you off.

Chris took a step back. "I gave Sammy a well deserved spanking – one she'd been earning for more'n a week now. That ain't the same as gettin' drunk and usin' a belt to beat a kid bloody for no good reason." Like their father had, he thought. "Now you need to get out of here before I do something we'll both regret."

The sound of his name being called brought Chris's wandering mind back to the present. Shortly after his confrontation with Aaron, he'd come into Digger Dan's Saloon and had started drinking. Although he was far from drunk, he wasn't exactly sober either. He hadn't thought about his abusive father since he'd left home and to be compared to him had his temper flaring. His brother was lucky to still be in one piece.

"Chris," Buck said again as he approached the corner table where his friend sat. He could tell there was something bothering his friend, and he didn't want to make whatever it was worse by relaying the information he'd found out about Aaron during his trip to Ridge City.

As he sat down, the gunslinger signaled to the bartender for another shot glass. The man hurried over, dropped the glass on the table in front of Buck, and quickly hurried off. Digger Dan's Saloon wasn't the type of establishment that invited conversation between the bartender and the patrons.

Buck poured himself a drink from the bottle of whiskey that sat on the table in front of Chris. He grimaced as he tossed the shot back and the liquid burned the back of his throat. "So, what's eatin' at you, old pard?"

"Nothin' that's any concern of yours," Chris replied shortly, reaching for the whiskey bottle again. As much as he would have liked to lose himself in the bottle, he had responsibilities. He thought briefly that he needed to go home to make sure Sammy had eaten dinner and was tucked into bed on time. Chris then realized that he had no idea what time it was. Setting the bottle back on the table, he focused on Buck.

The ladies' man simply shrugged at his friend's response. He knew that if Chris wasn't ready to discuss whatever was eatin' at his gut, nobody was going to be able to pull it out of him, even with an eight mule team. Buck watched as Chris rose from the table and stalked over to the bar and ordered a cup of coffee.

Chris drank half of the strong, black brew before he spoke. "What did you find out?"

At his request, Buck and Ezra had gone to Ridge City to learn what they could about the poker game in which Aaron claimed to have won the ruby. Something in his gut told him his little brother hadn't told him the whole story, and Chris wanted to know everything before committed his own and his friends' time and lives to keeping the younger man safe. It wouldn't have been the first time someone had tried to use the claim of being in danger to lure Chris in, but he would be damned if he fell for that ruse again.

"Ezra's gone to change clothes. Why don't we take this over to the jail so we can discuss it in private," Buck suggested. And so you can start to sober up, he refrained from saying.

Silently, Chris stood, tossed some money on the table to pay for the bottle of whiskey and the coffee, and walked out of the bar.

A little while later, Chris, Buck, Ezra, and Josiah were gathered in the jail. Nathan was tending to a patient who had gone into labor, J.D. was on patrol, and Vin was seeing to getting Kevin in bed. The others would fill them in on the information Ezra and Buck had gathered.

Chris sat behind the desk, another cup of strong coffee in his hands. "What did you find out?"

Ezra and Buck glanced at each other before turning back to the black-clad gunman. "It seems the man claiming to be Aaron Larabee did arrive in town last week on the train from the capital. It also appears he immediately began asking questions about one Chris Larabee."

Buck took up the narration, "seems your little brother has earned himself quite the reputation as a gambler." He nudged Ezra in the shoulder. "From the talk I heard, that ruby weren't the only thing Aaron won from Clint. Coupla people told me Clint's girl decided she'd rather spend the night with Aaron than with Clint." Buck sobered. "I heard tell that after Aaron boarded the stage to come here, Clint messed her up pretty bad and swore he'd get even with Aaron."

The door to the jail opened and J.D. entered, followed closely by Vin.

Chris looked up at the tracker. "Kevin down for the night?"

"Yeah. Mrs. Patterson is stayin' with 'im until I get back."

Chris nodded. "Any problems out of Sammy?" He didn't think there would be, but with her you never knew.

Vin shook his head. "I saw her at dinner. She helped Mrs. Patterson clean up after and went back up to her room. Something happen with her? She seemed a mite too quiet."

Chris took a drink of his coffee. "We'll talk later. Right now we've got more pressing matters to deal with."

"I'll say," J.D. interrupted. "When I was out on patrol, Tiny stopped me and let me know three strangers brought their horses in to be boarded. He heard one of 'em use the name Clint." The young man poured himself a cup of coffee before continuing. "I also found out there are three strangers are rentin' rooms over at the Gem Hotel. I took a look at the registration book, and their names were listed as Clint Phelps, Levi Jackson, and Seth Stewart."

"You let Aaron know?" Chris asked, coming to his feet.

"I saw him goin' into the saloon. Thought I'd come here first."

Chris couldn't miss the strange note to J.D.'s voice the mention of Aaron. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't have time to sort it out now. "Come on, let's go find him before Clint and his buddies do."

All six men hurried out the door in the direction of the saloon. They entered the saloon to find Aaron standing at the bar, his back to the room. Chris hurried over. "Clint and his buddies are in town."

Aaron's eyes met Chris's in the mirror. "I know."

Chris turned to see three men standing in the doorway, guns drawn. One of the men stepped forward into the room. "Aaron Larabee, you and I have somethin' to finish."

TBC

Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers. Due to the holiday (and the fact that I'm going to be traveling), the next chapter probably will not be posted for a couple of weeks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: This chapter came together a bit easier than I thought it would. I hope you enjoy it. **

**CHAPTER 7**

Chris turned to look at the three men who had crowded into the door of the saloon. Only one of the men, the one Chris assumed was Clint Phelps, held a gun, and it was pointed into the room in general, rather than directly at Aaron. He took that as a sign that the other man wasn't the gunman Chris had feared he would be. With a slight movement of his head, he signaled for the other peacekeepers to take up positions around the room. He watched as Buck and J.D. slid into position between the men and the door. Josiah and Vin moved to the wall near Clint's companions.

With his friends in place, Chris stated, "you don't want to be doing this."

"What do you know about it, cowboy?" Clint demanded, turning to look at the black-clad gunman. Something about the man sent a shiver down Clint's spine.

Vin shook his head and contemplated Clint and his two friends. "I wouldn't do that if'n I were you."

"Do what?" one of Clint's companions demanded.

"Call him 'cowboy'. That makes him madder 'n a wet hen. He'd rather shoot you than look at you," Josiah responded from the other side of the men.

"Who are you?" Clint demanded, the worry evident in his voice.

"Chris Larabee."

The two men standing with Clint swallowed hard. They had heard about Chris's reputation and those of the six men he now rode with. Wanting nothing to do with the coming fight, they started backing toward the door, only to run into Buck and J.D.

"Goin' somewhere?" Buck demanded, shoving the man who had bumped into him back into the room.

"This ain't no concern of yours," Clint stated, trying to sound braver than he felt. "I ain't got a beef with you."

"You do if you plan on shootin' my brother," Chris responded, his hand resting on the butt of the revolver strapped to his hip.

"Your brother?" Clint swallowed hard. He wasn't sure his revenge was worth the price he was apparently going to have to pay.

"My brother. Now, you can turn and walk away right now and let this go, or we can take this outside. Your choice."

Clint looked around at the two men who had entered the saloon at his side and saw that they had turned green with fear. He nodded toward his friends. "Let 'em go." The peacekeepers who had been surrounding the men stepped back and watched as they practically ran from the saloon.

Buck snorted in disgust at the sight of the two men. "Real brave companions you got there, mister. You gonna be smart and follow their lead, 'cause makin' Chris here pull his gun is just plain loco."

Clint looked around the room before returning his gaze to Chris. "Alright, you win. I'm leavin'." He turned to glare at Aaron. "Your brother saved yer ass this time, but it ain't over 'tween us."

"It had better be over," Chris stated, stepping into Clint's personal space. "Because if I hear 'a you causin' trouble for Aaron again, I'll find you and I'll kill you. Hell, I might just kill you anyway if I catch you in town after sunup tomorrow."

"You cain't do that," Clint protested.

"Anybody here gonna stop me?" Chris asked, hoping that he wouldn't have to carry out his threat.

"Nope."

"Stop what?"

"Now why would I do a fool thing like that?"

"Hell, I might even help you."

After hearing the responses of his friends, Chris turned back to Clint. "That answer your question?"

Clint nodded. "I'll be gone by morning."

Chris turned back to the bar, not waiting to see if the other man left the saloon.

"Thanks," Aaron turned to his brother. He was surprised when Chris grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and slammed his back against the nearest wall.

"Don't thank me. This ain't something you want to thank me for. You're lucky I don't beat the shit outta you. That man coulda died tonight on account 'a you. You might be my brother, but you get in trouble like that again, and you're on your own. You got that?"

All Aaron could do was nod. He was too stunned to speak. He really hadn't known what to expect as far was Chris's reaction to his trouble was concerned, but this certainly hadn't been what he had anticipated.

Chris turned in response to the hand that came to rest upon his shoulder to see Josiah standing behind him.

" Relax, brother Chris. I'm sure the boy understands you perfectly, and you don't want to do or say anything that you will regret."

Chris studied his friend for a moment before turning and walking away. He didn't stop at the bar, but continued on out the door into the darkening night.

"What the hell was that about?" Aaron asked as he straightened his shirt.

"There was a time, not too long ago, that Chris would have shot Clint without batting an eye. He's not proud of it. You thanking him for what he did just reminded him of that past and the fact that he had to fight the temptation tonight. You'd do well to remember that, son." Without giving Aaron the chance to reply, Josiah turned and followed Chris out of the saloon. When he didn't find Chris in Digger Dan's Saloon or the jail, he hoped the other man had returned to the boarding house.

Chris walked into the boarding house. He saw the light burning in the parlor and stepped into the room to find Mrs. Patterson sitting in one of the arm chairs, reading. "Thanks for sitting with Kevin, Mrs. Patterson."

"Oh," Mrs. Patterson exclaimed, looking up from her book. "I was so lost in what I was reading I didn't hear you come in, Mr. Larabee."

"I'm sorry I startled you."

"Oh, think nothing of it. Did you and Mr. Tanner get your business taken care of?"

"We did. Vin should be along soon."

Mrs. Patterson nodded. "Well, then, I'll just go on back to my rooms. Good night, Mr. Larabee."

Chris stopped her before she could leave the room. "Is there any thing that I need to be made aware of with either Kevin or Sammy?" Something about the older woman's demeanor had set off alarm bells in his head.

"Now that you mention it, that Mrs. Standish came by a little bit ago to talk to Sammy. Of course, it being so late and all I didn't let her past the parlor, and I certainly didn't bother to go upstairs to get Sammy for her. Imagine, the nerve of that woman thinking she could come here at that hour to discuss business. That's exactly how she phrased it, that she had business with Sammy."

Chris fought to hide a grin at Mrs. Patterson's indignation over Maude's business. This was just another example of why he had a soft spot for the matronly woman. She'd mother anyone if given the chance, and she'd definitely taken a keen interest in the two children who were now living under her roof.

"Thanks, Mrs. Patterson. I'll deal with it in the morning."

Mrs. Patterson nodded and made her way toward her rooms located off the kitchen.

Chris extinguished the lamp in the parlor, leaving the one burning in the entrance for Vin and J.D. and slowly made his way up the stairs to the second floor. He was tired, both physically and emotionally, but there was one more thing he had to take care of before he could turn in for the night. Part of him hoped that Sammy had already done to bed, but he knew she was probably still awake.

As he moved nearly silently down the hallway, he didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed to see light shining under Sammy's bedroom door. It had been several weeks since he had insisted that she keep to a strict bedtime, deciding instead that she was responsible enough to decide the matter on her own. After taking advantage of the new found freedom the first few nights by staying up until the wee hours of the morning, she had settled into retiring at a more reasonable hour.

He gently knocked on the door and, upon hearing Sammy's quiet "come in," pushed it open. Chris immediately saw that she was in bed, reading by the light of the lamp burning on her bedside table. He stepped into the room and closed the door.

"I wanted to check to be sure you were okay," he stated, mentally cursing himself for feeling awkward.

"I'm fine," Sammy replied, just a little too shortly for Chris's taste.

Chris chose to ignore the bite in Sammy's response. Instead, he moved over to the desk, picked up the chair and sat it in front of her bed. Straddling the chair, he studied her for a moment before continuing. "I think we need to talk about what happened today, don't you?"

"Not particularly," Sammy responded, knowing full well Chris hated that response.

Chris bit his tongue to keep from taking the bait. "Fine, I'll talk and you listen." Sammy didn't say anything, so he continued. "Like I said earlier, I don't what you riding alone, not because I don't trust you, but because I don't trust anyone else. You've more than earned my trust these last few weeks, and I know you weren't wanting to ride out alone so you could run off or do something foolish like that. But, this isn't Iowa. This territory is dangerous – especially for a pretty young woman out on her own."

Chris paused to make sure Sammy was listening to what he was saying. "What do you think would have happened if someone like Jed or Bart Slater or any of their gang members had come across you while you were out riding? Do you honestly think you'd be able to fight them off?"

He saw the flicker of fear that crossed Sammy's face and knew she had understood his point. He stood and moved to sit on the side of her bed. Reaching up, he tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "Exactly. That's why I don't want you ridin' unless me or one of the boys are with you. We can hang back if you need to be by yourself, but one of us needs to be there. Is that understood?"

Sammy didn't immediately respond to his question. "But Casey rides into town by herself all the time."

"You aren't Casey, and I'm not Nettie. As it happens, I've mentioned to Nettie that she might want to keep a closer eye on her niece. Vin and Ezra had to dissuade a couple of drifters from showing interest in her the other day. Now, you want to answer my question?"

Sammy nodded. "I understand. I won't ride out alone."

"Good girl." Chris stood and moved to return the chair to its proper place in front of the desk. Turning back to Sammy, he said simply, "good night. Don't stay up too late."

"Good night," she responded. But, just as Chris opened the door to leave she stopped him. "Chris?"

He turned back to look at her. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about today and the way I've been acting. I don't know what's gotten into me."

Chris figured he knew, but was far from prepared to discuss the birds and the bees with his teenage daughter. He supposed he was going to have to ask Mary to have a talk with her soon. Ignoring those thoughts for the moment, he smiled at Sammy. "That's alright, everyone has bad moments. You just gotta learn not to take 'em out on others. That's a lesson I've had to learn the hard way." With that Chris stepped out into the hallway and closed the door.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so long in coming. Between writer's block, trying to finish knitting an afghan my mother requested as a present for a dear friend, the community orchestra Christmas concert, and early holiday travel, I haven't had much writing time. Did I mention writer's block? For some reason, this chapter didn't want to come. I had ideas for what I wanted to happen, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. **

**Thanks to Gaben, whose advice triggered an idea that got my creative juices flowing again!**

**CHAPTER 8**

"Why do you gotta go with Miss Bishop today?" Kevin asked as he shoved a bite of his breakfast into his mouth. He wasn't at all happy about the idea of Vin spending the day with his teacher. Somehow it just didn't seem right to his young mind.

Chris had entered the dining room just as the question was asked. The look he sent Vin's way silently and clearly told the other man he wanted to know the answer to that question as well. He strongly suspected that, despite his directive, Mary had been interfering again.

"I done told you, Mary asked me to ride with Miss Bishop out to some of the outlying farms so she could talk to some people about the school," Vin replied, trying to keep his impatience from showing. If he didn't know any better, he'd have though Kevin was jealous. Although Vin wasn't about to admit it, even to himself, he was looking forward to spending the day with the pretty young school teacher. Still, he didn't see that as something that should concern the boy. He was also curious as to Chris' interest in his trip.

Vin took a good look at Kevin just as Sammy joined them at the breakfast table. The boy's light brown hair had gotten shaggy and was hanging down into his dark eyes. "And when I get back, I'm gonna take you over ta' the barber's to get yer hair cut."

Kevin grimaced. He hated getting his hair cut. It was a waste of time that he could otherwise spend playing. Besides, he wanted to grow it long, just like Vin's. "Do I gotta?"

Chris looked up from dishing eggs onto his plate. Before Vin could respond he stated, "yes, you have to." Turning, he spoke to Vin, "I was plannin' on goin' myself after breakfast. I can take him with me if you want."

"That'd be great, thanks." Vin turned back to Kevin. "Afterwards, you're to come back to the boarding house. You're still grounded, remember?"

"Ain't like I'm gonna forget that," Kevin muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Vin demanded.

"I said, yes sir," Kevin responded, hoping neither Vin nor Chris had actually heard what he had originally said.

Sammy had been silently listening to the conversation around her. She barely suppressed a giggle at the disgruntled expression on Kevin's face. A slight snort of laughter managed to escape, and she quickly attempted to disguise it with a cough. She wasn't quick enough and earned a hard look from both Chris and Vin.

Chris took a drink of his coffee in an effort to hide his smile. Both of the children at the table were becoming more and more like typical kids. It was a pleasure to see, even if it was aggravating at times.

Later, after breakfast was finished and Kevin had left with Chris, Vin made his way to the livery stable to meet Miss Bishop. Through Mary they had arranged a time to meet, and he was still a few minutes early. He wanted to have plenty of time to groom and saddle his horse. He still didn't know whether his companion would be traveling by buggy or by horseback. Mary hadn't given him a straight answer when he asked.

For that reason, he was surprise to spot Nancy in one of the stalls. She was petting the nose of a beautiful black thoroughbred mare he'd admired on previous occasions. The mare was already saddled and appeared ready to go. 

"You ridin' that mare?" Vin asked as he approached the stall. Immediately, he mentally cursed himself for asking such a foolish question. Of course she was riding, otherwise she wouldn't have been there with the mare, acting as if she owned the animal. Since spotting the mare, Vin had wondered who the animal had belonged to, especially since she was too fine to be one of Tiny's stable nags. Not that the man didn't provide good horse flesh for his customers, but this beautiful creature was a bit too fine for that.

"Yes, Ebony hadn't had a good run in days. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for her to stretch her legs. That's alright, isn't it," Nancy smiled sweetly, hoping that Vin wouldn't be able to resist.

Vin nodded and moved to the stall where his own horse was patiently waiting. Lifting the saddle of its stand in the corner, he placed it the gelding's back. As he tightened the straps, he thought over what he had just been told and wondered how a school teacher had come to own such a fine animal. He didn't know what the town was paying her, but he knew it couldn't be enough for her to purchase the animal after she came west. Vin also wondered at her comment about the horse not having had a good run in days. He hoped that didn't mean she had been riding out by herself. Surely the woman was too smart for such foolishness.

"You know which families you wanna visit?" Vin asked, leading his horse from its stall. He waited while Nancy did the same. The tracker was surprised to see the school teacher dressed in a man's work shirt tucked into denim trousers. He had expected to see her dress a little more formally in a riding skirt, especially since she was hoping to persuade parents to send their children into town to attend school.

"I thought we'd start at the Nelson's farm and work our way back," she replied, naming a family that lived about three hours west of town. "We should be able to talk to them and two or three other families on the way back." As she spoke, she led Ebony through the stable door out into the dusty yard.

Vin watched as Nancy easily mounted the mare. Smiling in approval and appreciation, he swung up into the saddle of his own horse.

They rode in companionable silence for several minutes before Vin spoke. "How'd you come to have such a beautiful animal?"

Nancy laughed. She could only image what thoughts had gone through Vin's head. "It's not what you must think, Mr. Tanner. I brought Ebony with me from home. You see, I grew up on a horse farm just outside Lexington, Kentucky. My father gave her to me for my thirteenth birthday." She leaned forward to pat the horse's sleek neck. "I guess you could say we've grown up together. She's the one thing I had to bring with me when I came west."

Vin nodded. He understood what it was like to have a close connection with an animal. It was something he'd learned to understand and appreciate during the time he'd lived with the Kiowa and the Comanche.

Once again, they fell into companionable silence. It was quite a while later when Nancy spoke again. "How did you learn to become a tracker? I'm just fascinated with the ability to find someone or something based only on the little clues they leave behind."

Vin thought for a moment, considering what he wanted to tell her. "I lived with the Kiowa and the Comanche for a while. I learned a lot about nature and animals and trackin' from them."

"How did you end up living with Indians?" Nancy asked, intrigued by what she had just learned.

Vin shrugged. His past really wasn't something he wanted to get into with her. Maybe later he would tell her the full story, but not right now. "I was pretty young, and they accepted me into their tribes. I was fortunate." Pausing, he decided to turn the discussion back to Nancy. "How'd you end up comin' west to teach school in a little town like Four Corners."

Nancy repeated what she had told Mary about attending school. "I've always wanted to travel and to see what life was like beyond the farm. When I saw the advertisement for this job in the Cincinnati newspaper, I applied. I couldn't believe my luck when I was offered the position. It gave me the chance to explore parts of this country that I never would have seen otherwise, and to meet such interesting people."

"Yeah?" Vin asked, "like who?" He was intrigued by this woman – more than he'd care to admit. He could only imagine how much courage it had taken for her to leave her home and travel west by herself like that.

Nancy smiled. "Well, Mary and her son, Billy, and Judge Travis, of course. I don't know if you know this, but that man definitely as some interesting stories to tell. He should write a book about his experiences as a traveling circuit judge. Then there's Mr. Sanchez. Did you know he's lived with and studied different cultures all over the world? He is absolutely fascinating to talk to. And Mr. Jackson, with his experience of going from slave to healer." Nancy paused and smiled. She knew that her glowing praise of the other men was bothering Vin. She couldn't help the mischievous streak that had her doing it deliberately just to see his reaction. Although she wasn't about to admit it to him, she found him just as interesting, especially since he didn't seem to want to talk about his past. That was something she was going to have to work on, because she really wanted to spend more time with him.

"That so," Vin asked, a little more shortly than he had intended.

"Yes, that's so."

Vin supposed now was as good a time as any to ask the other question that had been burning in his mind, plus it would be a good way to change the subject. "You ain't been ridin' Ebony out by yerself, have ya?"

Nancy turned in the saddle to look at Vin. "Yes." When she saw the angry look that crossed Vin's face she hastily continued, "but I've been sticking close to town – no more than a mile or two away."

"You got any idea what could happen to you ridin' out alone?" Vin demanded. He didn't know why he was so upset at her admission. After all, she was a grown woman who was responsible for her own actions.

"Nothing has happened."

"That don't mean nothing will. If'n you gotta ride out fer anything – business or pleasure – you ask me or one of the other guys to go with you. Understood?"

Nancy hadn't expected Vin to be so stern. Her impression of him had been of an easy-going man who would probably be dangerous if pushed too far. She couldn't believe that her riding her horse by herself was such a concern, but she was interested in seeing what would happen if she continued to push. "And if I don't?"

That simple question threw Vin for a moment. He hadn't really though of consequences. Oh, he figured he knew what Chris would do with Sammy or even Mary under the circumstances, but he didn't think he had that right. After all, they were little more than acquaintances and were only now beginning to become friends. Still, he had to give her an answer. "I don't know," he admitted. "But, I can promise you that you won't like it."

"Oh, really," Nancy challenged. She smiled at the glower on Vin's face and continued, "well then, I suppose I'll have to promise that I'll think about it." She tapped her heels into her horse's side and moved out in front of Vin.

_Well damn_, Vin thought. _She's got some spunk, all right. This could prove to be interesting._ He clucked to his own horse and moved to catch up to Nancy.

They fell back into a companionable silence until they were half an hour out from the Nelson's farm. Nancy declared that she needed to stop to change into something a bit more presentable. At Vin's confused look, she laughed. "You didn't think I was going to attempt to persuade these families to send their children into town to attend school while wearing something as scandalous as pants, did you?"

"Nope, guess not," Vin replied. "There's a rock fall up ahead you can change behind. Should give you plenty of privacy." Too bad there ain't a creek nearby, he thought. Just the idea of her changing behind the rocks had his blood heating up. He just hoped he didn't embarrassment himself too much when the time came.

A few minutes later, Vin was standing with the horses, his back to a pile of boulders that formed a semi-circle facing a hillside. As a result of the formation, Nancy was completely shielded from view. The tracker was attempting to ignore the thought of what was happening a short when a scream pierced the late morning calm. Not even hesitating, he grabbed the sawed-off shot gun from its scabbard on his saddle and took off running toward the boulders.

He rushed through the opening to find Nancy sitting on the ground, her hands grasped around the lower portion of her left leg. The fact that the woman was clad only in a man's work shirt didn't even register with Vin as he raced forward. "What happened?"

"Be careful, it may still be around," Nancy warned. Unlike Vin, she was fully aware of her state of undress, but at the moment she was too concerned over what had just happened to be embarrassed.

"What?" Vin demanded, looking around. It took only seconds for him to spot the sidewinder hiding under one of the large rocks. "You bit?" he demanded, moving between Nancy and the snake.

"Yes. I didn't even see it before it got me." She was starting to feel light headed and was afraid the reptile's venom was starting to take affect.

Vin knew he had to get Nancy out of the boulders as quickly as possible so he could see to the bite. But he also knew he needed to be wary of the snake. Moving slowly, he studied the snake's location and the distance between it and himself. He didn't think it was close enough to be of any danger, and it was too dangerous to shoot it. If he missed, or even if he hit it, the shot could ricochet off the rock, and while he was competent with a knife, he didn't trust his skills enough in this instance. Deciding on his course of action, Vin spoke, "I want you to stay still. I'm gonna pick you up and carry you outta here, but I don't want you movin' any more'n you gotta."

Nancy started to protest that he shouldn't take the risk of getting bitten as well, but Vin silenced her words with a shake of his head. "Dang it, woman. Just do what I say." Vin bent and lifted Nancy into his arms. As he straightened, the snake struck inches away from his booted foot. Ignoring the reptile for the moment, Vin quickly moved out from behind the boulders and carried Nancy to clearing.

Once there, he sat her on the ground and went to retrieve a blanket from his bedroll. He was starting to grow increasingly concerned. Since her initial protest, she hadn't spoken and her eyes were starting to glaze. Hurrying back to Nancy's side, Vin draped the blanket over her lap and down her right leg, leaving her left leg exposed.

He sat on the ground and pulled her left leg into his lap, so that he could get a good look at the bite. The movement seemed to draw Nancy out of her stupor, as she began to protest. He reached over and stroked a lock of auburn hair out of her face and cupped her cheek in his large hand. He waited until her dazed eyes met his before speaking.

"I have to get the venom out. It's gonna hurt, but I need you to stay still, okay."

Nancy nodded. "Okay."

She stared, wide-eyed as Vin pulled out his knife. The blade was long and lethal-looking. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna make a cut over each of the fang marks and suck out the venom. I ain't gonna lie to you, it's gonna hurt. Why don't you lay back?"

_Did he really have to repeat that warning_, Nancy thought as she followed Vin's directions. She felt his warm hand encircle her left ankle and nearly screamed as the sharp point of his knife sliced into her flesh.

Vin wished he had time to build a fire or even a bottle of whiskey to sterilize the knife. Unfortunately, time was of the essence. He had to get the venom out of her blood stream as quickly as possible then get her to Nathan.

After he made the necessary cuts, Vin tossed the knife aside. Leaning over, he brought Nancy's leg to his mouth and began sucking on the wounds. He grimaced at the coppery taste of blood mixed with the bitterness of the snake venom as he spit out the first mouthful. He continued the process until all he could taste was blood. Glancing at Nancy's still form he removed the bandana from around his neck and tied it over the wounds to try and staunch some of the bleeding. As he finished, he lowered her leg back to the ground.

Nancy's pain-filled eyes met his. "It's over." He walked to the horse and retrieved his canteen. After rinsing his mouth, he returned to where Nancy was still laying on the ground. He handed her the canteen and the shotgun. "I'm going to go get a couple of branches to use to make a travois. You shoot anything that comes up that road. I shouldn't be gone long."

Nancy nodded. She was weak, but she maneuvered herself into a sitting position and wrapped the blanket more securely around her. She wished she had the strength to go back to the rocks to retrieve her clothing, but she was just too weak. Plus, she didn't think she could handle facing that snake again. She supposed she would have to just live with the embarrassment of being only half-dressed in Vin's presence.

Although only a few minutes had passed, it seemed like forever before Vin emerged from the nearby stand of trees. He was carrying two long slender trees. Nancy watched in fascination as he used a section of the coil of rope he had removed from his saddle bags to lash his bedroll to the triangular-shaped frame he'd made from the two poles. He then used the remainder of the rope to lash to ends of the poles to his saddle. Nancy had never seen anything like it before.

Vin quickly finished securing the travois and moved over to where Nancy was sitting. "It's too dangerous for you to ride back. You're too weak, and we need to move quickly."

"Okay," she replied. She wanted desperately to lie down, but was trying just as desperately not to show her weakness. "Just how am I supposed to get back on Four Corners on that thing?" She gestured toward the newly constructed travois.

Vin shook his head. He would have thought the answer to that question was fairly obvious. "I'll carry you over there. You'll ride back layin' on it. It'll be a lot more comfortable than if you tried to ride double with me." Not giving her the chance to argue he reached down and took the canteen and gun from her hands. He replaced the shotgun in its scabbard and hooked the cord of the canteen around the saddle horn, intending to return it to Nancy once she was settled.

Returning, he lifted Nancy, blanket and all, into his arms. She had continued to weaken from the combined effects of the snake's venom that had entered her bloodstream and blood loss. Sighing, she rested her head against Vin's strong shoulder. She almost cried out in disappointment when she felt the loss of warmth from his body as he laid her gently on the bed of the travois.

Vin quickly make sure she was covered with the blanket and tucked the canteen in beside her. He grabbed his horse's reigns, intending to lead him while riding Ebony. Praying the mare would accept him as her rider, he mounted the animal. Ebony must have sensed his urgency because after a only a brief moment's hesitation she responded to his command.

Vin set as quick a pace back toward town as he was comfortable with. He only wished they could travel faster. They had ridden a good two and a half hours and it would take them longer than that to return to Four Corners. He only hoped that they would get there before it was too late.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Hope you all have had a good holiday season. I spent mine with my family and came to the conclusion that it's the excitement of children that really makes the holiday so special.

I appreciate all of the comments I've received on this story. Keep them up.

**CHAPTER 9**

Chris ushered Kevin through the open door of the barber shop. Mr. Jenkins, the barber, turned to greet them.

"What can I do for you gentlemen this morning?"

"The boy and I both need haircuts," Chris replied, removing his hat.

"I don't wanna a haircut," Kevin whined.

Chris didn't hesitate. He leaned down so that his face was inches from Kevin's and spoke quietly. "You done been told you're gettin' a haircut. I don't want to hear another word about it, or Mr. Jenkins, here, is gonna witness you gettin' your first spanking from me. You got that?"

Kevin wanted to look away, but continued to meet Chris' steady gaze. He could tell the man was more than serious, and a spanking wasn't exactly the way he wanted to start the morning. Especially since his backside was still tender from the one he'd gotten from Vin over the fight at school. Reluctantly, he replied, "yes, sir."

Chris straightened. "Good, you can go first." He gestured toward the barber's chair and took a seat on the bench along the opposite wall. Waiting patiently for his turn, he watched silently as Kevin made his way to the indicated chair and sat. Mr. Jenkins quickly tied the cape around the boy's neck and took out his comb and scissors.

It took the barber only a few minutes to trim Kevin's hair. After removing the cape and dusting his neck and shoulder for stray hairs, Mr. Jenkins handed the boy a piece of candy out of the jar that sat on his work table. After expressing his thanks for the treat, Kevin jumped down from the chair and went to stand in front of Chris.

"Can I go outside while you get your hair cut?"

"Nope," Chris replied, making his way over to the barber chair for his turn. "You're gonna sit right there where I can see you." He chose to ignore Kevin's muttered words and watched as the boy plopped down on the bench.

A few minutes later, after the barber had finished with him, Chris looked down the dusty street as he and Kevin emerged from the barber shop. Spotting Josiah outside of the new school house, Chris came up with an idea.

"Come on," he said. Grasping the boy by the arm, he started down the street toward his friend.

Josiah looked up from the desk he was finishing to see Chris coming his way, practically dragging Kevin along behind him. He straightened and waited until his friend grew closer before asking, "what can I do for you this morning?"

"Could you watch Kevin for a bit? He's been grounded, but Vin had to accompany Miss Bishop to some of the outlying farms, and I need to have a word with Mary in private. I don't want to impose of Mrs. Patterson, so I was wondering if you could use some free labor for a while?"

Josiah studied Kevin's face and saw the mutinous expression forming. It was clear that the boy would rather be anywhere other than in his current situation. And, if he wasn't mistaken, the former priest thought he saw hurt in the boy's eyes as well. Surely by now the boy knew that he wouldn't be abandoned by Vin or any of his fellow peacekeepers. "Sure, I'd be glad of the help," he replied, suspecting that they might end up doing more talking than actual work, especially if the boy chose now rather than later to act on his hurt feelings.

Chris nodded his thanks. "I'll be back in a bit."

"We'll be here," Josiah stated, placing a comforting hand on Kevin's shoulder.

Chris nearly rethought his plans when Kevin didn't say anything, but simply glared at him in response. He really did need to talk to Mary, and he figured what he had to discuss was best done outside the hearing of little ears. And, he truly didn't feel right askin' Mrs. Patterson to take time out of her busy schedule to watch the boy. Sammy had plans for the morning, so she wouldn't be home to watch him either. "You mind Josiah, Kevin. I'll be back shortly." Turning on his heel, he walked off in the direction of the Clarion.

Josiah glanced down at the boy standing beside him. "I've got a couple more desks to make this morning. I sure could use your help with them. What do you say?"

Kevin watched Chris walking away and couldn't help but feel angry at the man for dumping him here at the church. He wondered why Chris had even agreed to take him with him that morning if he really hadn't wanted to be with him. He had thought Chris had liked him, but now he wasn't so sure. Turning to look up at Josiah, Kevin nodded.

"Come on then, let's get started." Josiah picked up his hammer and, using the wooden handle, gestured toward the already completed furniture. "You think you could wipe those down and make sure all the saw dust is off 'em so we can varnish 'em?"

Kevin glanced in the direction Josiah indicated and shrugged. "I suppose so," he responded, sullenly. After retrieving a rag from a pile nearby, Kevin got to work.

Josiah fastened the last pieces of the final desk together and looked over where Kevin was doing only a half-hearted job of wiping down the wood. Tucking his hammer into his belt, the large man moved over to the water pump that had only recently been installed at the side of the building and, taking the tin cup handing there, levered the handled under a gush of water flowed from the spigot. Holding the cup under the running water, Josiah filled it and turned to carry it back to Kevin. Handing the cup to Kevin, he sat down beside the boy and asked, "something on your mind, son?"

Kevin just shrugged, took a drink from the cup, and handed it back to Josiah, who finished the rest of the water while studying the boy's face.

"You know you can talk to me if somethin's bothering you. I've been told I'm a good listener."

Kevin threw his rag down and turned to glare at Josiah. "Ain't nuthin' botherin' me. Why should it bother me that Vin's out ridin' with my teacher or that Chris couldn't wait to get rid 'a me. Why don't you just go ahead and get rid 'a me, too, 'cause I know you don't really want me here. Nobody wants me here." He stopped to take a deep, ragged breath and told himself he wasn't going to be a baby and cry.

Josiah had thought that Kevin had moved beyond his fear of being abandoned, but he supposed Vin's interest in Miss Bishop could have reawakened some of those feelings. Kevin hadn't really been part of a family for all that long and it was understandable for the boy to worry that if Vin had someone new in his life he'd no longer be interested in having Kevin around. Having Chris suddenly decide to leave him here while going to talk to Mary hadn't helped matters any.

He stood and put an arm around Kevin's shoulders. The former priest could sense that the child was in need of reassurance and comfort, but wouldn't be willing to accept the gesture out in view of everyone. Gently, Josiah guided Kevin up the steps into the cool interior of the school house. Once they were inside and the door had been closed to allow them some privacy, he pulled the boy against him for a hug.

At first Kevin was a bit reticent to accept Josiah's embrace. He thought he was too old for such things, but he soon readily accepted the comfort being offered. Before he realized what had happened, Kevin found himself crying against Josiah's large shoulder.

Josiah continued to kneel on the floor in the entryway of the school house until Kevin pulled back out of his embrace. He watched as Kevin wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Feel better now?" he asked.

Again, Kevin shrugged. He was embarrassed at having just cried on Josiah's shoulder like a baby.

Sensing the thoughts that were racing through Kevin's mind, Josiah stood and guided him further into the room until they came to a row of benches that had already been installed. Sitting, Josiah pulled Kevin to stand in front of him. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Kevin. Even grown men cry sometimes when they're sad or upset about something."

Kevin looked at Josiah suspiciously. "Cryin's for babies."

"Well, there've been times when I've cried, and I'm sure there's been a time or two when Chris or J.D. or Vin have cried. Does that make us babies?"

Kevin thought about Josiah's words and tried to picture the confident, strong men he knew crying. He shook his head in response.

"Then why do you think crying makes you a baby?" Josiah asked patiently. Once again, Kevin's response was a shrug of his thin shoulders. Josiah sighed. "You want to talk about what's go you so upset?"

Kevin moved to sit on the bench beside Josiah. "Not really."

"I think I might know at least some of it."

Josiah smiled at the boy's look of surprise.

"Kevin, just because Vin is spendin' time with Miss Bishop doesn't mean he loves you any less or wants to spend less time with you."

"But he wouldn't let me go with him today."

Ah, Josiah thought, they were starting to get somewhere. "Does Vin always take you with him when he goes someplace, or does he leave you in town."

Kevin muttered something that Josiah assumed was the boy's acknowledgement that he was left behind more often than not when Vin rode out unless they were planning on going to Nettie's or to one of the other nearby ranches on pleasure.

"So what made you think he'd take you with him today?" Josiah asked gently. "Vin's going to have business of his own that doesn't involve you. Just like Chris did today. Whatever he needed to talk to Mary about, he wanted to do it without you listening in."

"I coulda gone upstairs and played with Billy while they talked."

Josiah grinned. "Ah, but you're being punished for your fight by not being allowed to play with your friends, aren't you?"

Reluctantly, Kevin nodded.

"So you thought you might get to pull something past Chris and get to spend some time with Billy anyway, did you? You really didn't think he'd fall for that." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I guess."

Deciding it was probably the right time to turn the conversation back to Vin and Miss Bishop, Josiah continued, "and I suppose you think Vin doesn't deserve to get to spend time with someone he might find interesting. After all, he has you and the guys. Why would he need other people in his life." Josiah reckoned Kevin was still to young to understand a man's pleasure in spending time in the company of a pretty young woman, so he didn't want to go too far into that subject.

Kevin was quiet for a moment while he thought about Josiah's words. Finally, he nodded his understanding of what Josiah had been attempting to make clear to him.

"Good." Josiah cupped the back of Kevin's head in his large hand. "You ready to get back to work?"

XXOOXXOOXXOO

Still feeling a bit guilty about leaving Kevin with Josiah, Chris pushed open the door to the Clarion. Pausing a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimmer interior light, he removed his hat. Looking around, he spotted Mary working at one of the many counters in the room.

When the door opened Mary looked up from the work she was doing to prepare the following week's paper for printing. She watched with interest as Chris entered the room and shut the door behind him.

Chris moved across the room, his footsteps barely making a sound on the hard wood floor. "Where's Billy?" he asked, looking around.

A little disappointed at this first topic of conversation, Mary replied, "upstairs in his room. He's grounded for the next week because of the fight at school."

Chris nodded. "Vin grounded Kevin, too. He's over at the new school house helping Josiah."

Mary nodded. Obviously, Chris wasn't going to come right out and say why he was there, so she asked, "was there something I can help you with?"

Chris nodded as he moved forward. "I hear you arranged for Vin to accompany Miss Bishop on her ride today. I thought I told you not to interfere with them. They need to figure out what's goin' on between 'em on their own."

Mary sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. She should have known that this was the reason for Chris calling on her in the middle of the day. "I didn't interfere. Nancy wanted to visit some of the outlying ranches, and she would have gone by herself if I hadn't arranged for Vin to go with her. Besides, maybe spending a little time together will help them realize how they feel about each other."

"Uh huh," Chris replied skeptically and took another step toward Mary. "That sure sounds like interfering to me."

Later, when he looked back at that moment, he couldn't have said what had gotten into him. As he stepped further into Mary's space, he reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Hesitating only a moment, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.

Mary wasn't quite sure how to react. She had dreamed of Chris kissing her, but now that it was actually happening, she was a bit unprepared for the reality. She hesitated only a moment before moving closer to Chris and lifting her arms to encircle his neck.

The kiss had started gently, but as Mary began kissing him back, it grew deeper and deeper.

Chris nearly groaned aloud when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He broke the kiss and drew away from Mary only seconds before Billy stepped off the staircase into the room. He grinned at the dazed expression on her face.

It took several seconds before Mary registered what Billy was asking. When she finally did, she couldn't help but notice the confused look on his face. She spared a quick glance up at Chris before turning back to her son.

Chris was a little dazed himself, and was grateful that Billy had come downstairs when he had. Otherwise, he was afraid that the kiss might have gone a bit further than either of them was ready for. Putting his hat back on his head, he touched the brim. "Billy. Mary, I'll talk to you later."

Stepping out onto the porch, he closed the door shut. The rare grin on his usually stoic face grew strange looks from those passing by on the street below.

His good mood vanished quickly, however, when he stepped off the porch onto the street. He had been on his way to retrieve Kevin and return to the boarding house when he happened to look in the direction of the saloon. He cursed as he watched Aaron, with his arm around Sammy's shoulders, usher her through the doors into the establishment.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. Due to some lingering illness and some other things that have happened in my life, I haven't been much in the mood to write lately. Hopefully I will do better in the future. As I've written this chapter, I've gotten several ideas for future chapters. Usually that inspires me to write, so we'll see what happens.**

**Once again, thanks go out to gaben, whose comment spurred part of the story line that is being set up in this chapter. I welcome all thoughts and suggestions. If I like it, I might even work it into the story. **

**CHAPTER 10**

Chris started toward the saloon. He hoped his eyes had been playing tricks on him and it had been someone else Aaron had been escorting into the establishment. But, he knew that wouldn't be the case, his observation skills were too good to be that mistaken.

The black-clad man was so intent on his thoughts and anger at his brother and daughter that he didn't notice the figure move away from the side of the building toward the livery stable. In fact, he didn't even notice the townspeople who quickly stepped out of his way once they spotted the angry expression on his face. Chris Larabee in high temper was not something anyone wanted to mess with.

His footsteps rang heavily on the wooden porch as he approached the door to the saloon. Chris paused for a moment, taking a look inside for his quarry. He easily spotted Aaron and Sammy sitting at a table between the door and the large front window and growled low when he saw the way his brother was holding Sammy's hand and leaning close to her. Pushing the batwing doors open he quickly strode to the table.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded. His anger only grew when Sammy looked up at him and he saw the tears staining her cheeks. "What happened? Are you hurt?" he demanded again, before she had a chance to answer his first question.

Waiting for her to answer, Chris turned his angry glare toward Aaron. "Well?" he demanded once again.

Aaron shared a look with Sammy then stood, moving to stand between her and Chris. He'd seen Chris' idea of discipline and didn't want his brother getting any ideas at that particular moment. "It's not what you think."

"No," Chris questioned, "well, why don't you tell me what it is then."

Chris was oblivious to the stares and looks the other patrons of the saloon were sending their way, hoping for a few minutes entertainment. However, Sammy and Aaron were not.

"Why don't we go someplace a little more private to discuss this?" Aaron suggested.

"No, we're gonna discuss it right here, right now. You'd best answer my question before I do something we'll all regret."

"I came upon Sammy being hassled by some kid. I could tell he was bothering her, so I chased him off. She was upset, so I brought her in here to calm her down. But you came storming in here first," Aaron explained.

"Sammy?" Chris drew her attention.

Sammy met his eyes, and nodded in response to his unasked request for verification of Aaron's explanation.

Chris nodded. He was still angry, but Aaron's statement had tempered his anger somewhat with concern. "Let's go over to the jail to discuss this." He turned on his heel and stalked out the door, not looking back to see if Aaron and Sammy were following him.

The Indian boy who rode his horse into town at a full gallop was on a mission. It was the most important task his grandfather had ever entrusted him with – to find the healer and bring him back to the village. The only problem was he didn't know where he was supposed to find the healer. He'd left the village in such hurry; he hadn't thought to ask that one vital question.

He dismounted and loosely tied the reigns to his horse at a nearby hitching post. He tried to approach a man and woman who were walking down the street, but they ignored him as though they hadn't even seen them. The boy spotted a man he thought he recognized, but the black-clad man was leading another man and a woman into a building. Even from quite a distance away, the boy could tell the black-clad man was angry and was too afraid to approach him.

Starting to feel desperate, because he knew how important it was that the healer come quickly and he didn't want to disappoint his grandfather, the boy again looked around for someone who might be willing to help. He nearly sighed in relief when he spotted Josiah working outside the church. There was a boy who appeared to be a few years younger working alongside the big man.

"Inashoog Ndeeń!"

Josiah looked up at the sound of the name by which he was known in Kojay's village and spotted the boy running toward him. A sudden chill of fear ran up his spine. If Kojay had sent this child Four Corners, something was terribly wrong. He knew from a conversation with Mary that at least one of the ranches Nancy Bishop wanted to visit was located near the reservation. Trying to act nonchalant so as to not worry Kevin, he waited until the boy had reached his side before asking, "Mahko, what's wrong?"

Mahko glanced at Kevin before turning his attention to Josiah. "Shichoo sent me to find the healer. His help is needed in the village."

Josiah knew that Kojay sent for Nathan only there was something that the tribe's medicine man couldn't handle. He moved forward and grasped the boy by his shoulders. "What's happened? Is someone injured?"

Mahko nodded. "Vin brought tichii bitsizii isdzan. I don't know what happened, but they took her to Shichoo's tepee and sent me to get the healer. Shichoo said to bring him as fast as I could."

Kevin sensed something was wrong. He didn't know who or what the boy was talking about, but he knew Vin and healer had been mentioned in the same breath. He dropped the brush he'd been using to apply varnish to a desk, heedless of the fact that the wet brush landed on the dusty ground, and ran to Josiah's side. "Is Vin hurt?"

Mahko shook his head. "Vin wasn't hurt."

"If Kojay told you to get Nathan there in a hurry, we don't have any time to waste," Josiah interrupted before Mahko could say anything further. "Kevin, you go to the jail and get Chris and tell him to get over to the clinic. Mahko, you and I are going to go get Nathan."

Kevin took off running to do as he'd been told. He'd sensed the unspoken urgency in Josiah's voice. As he was running it dawned on him that if Vin wasn't hurt, then the person in trouble had to be Miss Bishop. Guilt and fear almost made him stop in his tracks, but he kept going. Still, he couldn't help but think that if Miss Bishop had gotten hurt it was all his fault for being angry at her for taking Vin away from him that morning.

Chris stalked up the steps to the jail and pushed open the door. He waited until Aaron and Sammy and entered before slamming it shut. Turning, the gunman leveled his infamous stare first at Aaron, then at Sammy. "Okay, who wants to tell me what happened?" he demanded.

Sammy glanced at Aaron before meeting Chris's angry eye. "Martin cornered me beside the walk in front of the saloon. He accused me of thinking myself too good to go riding with him. I tried to get away, but he wouldn't let me go." She rubbed her upper left arm where it was still sore from the grip Martin had had on it.

Chris didn't miss her action and stepped forward. He unbuttoned the top button of her cotton shirt and pulled it off her shoulder far enough to see the top of the dark bruise that was starting to form. Cursing viciously, he turned to Aaron while Sammy straightened her shirt.

"That doesn't explain what she was doing in the saloon. She knows she isn't supposed to be in there."

Aaron stepped forward so that he was between Chris and Sammy. "Don't blame her, I took her in there after I chased the boy off. She needed to calm down and compose herself, and the saloon was the closest place where I thought she could do that."

Before Chris could reply, the door to the jail burst open and Kevin ran in. "Chris, Josiah needs you over at the clinic," he stated, barely able to speak he was so out of breath.

Chris waited a moment for the boy to get his wind back before asking, "what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Some boy from the Indian village told Josiah that Vin was there and they'd taken somebody to a teepee and sent him to get the healer. Josiah sent me over here to get you while he took the boy to Nathan's. You don't think Vin or Miss Bishop are hurt do you?"

Chris could hear the worry in Kevin's voice. And if he wasn't mistaken, there was a tinge of guilt as well. That would be something either he or Vin would have to talk to him about, but that would have to wait. He glanced at Sammy and was relieved to see that she seemed to be pulling herself together. "Sammy, I want you to take Kevin back to the boarding house and stay with him there."

"But, I want to go to Nathan's," she stated. "There might be something I can do to help."

"And I want to find out if Vin's hurt," Kevin protested. He liked Sammy, but he really didn't want to be stuck at the boarding house without knowing what was going on.

Chris considered for a moment. After his initial reaction, he realized there was a good possibility that he would be staying here in town, especially since Nathan and Josiah, along with Vin, had the best relationship with the inhabitants of Kojay's village. "Okay, you can go to the clinic, and then we'll see." He could see the momentary glimpse of relief that passed across Kevin's face. "Go on, I need to talk to Aaron about something, then I'll be right over."

Sammy sent a worried glance at Aaron. She had known that she wasn't supposed to be in the saloon, but she had been too upset to care. Still, she didn't want Aaron to get in trouble for trying to help her. "Chris . . ." she started to protest.

"Don't worry, I just need to talk to him. Go before I change my mind about sending you straight to the boarding house. I'll be right behind you."

Sammy nodded and, taking Kevin's hand, led him from the jail, closing the door behind her.

Chris waited until the door was firmly closed before turning to his brother.

"Don't ever think to stand between me and Sammy again."

"I didn't want you punishing her for something that wasn't her fault. You're too hard on her."

Chris stepped forward until he was crowding the slightly smaller man. He was grateful for what Aaron had done in getting Sammy away from Martin, and could even live with the fact that he had taken Sammy into the saloon. What he wouldn't tolerate was the idea that Aaron thought he had to protect Sammy from Chris. "How I handle Sammy is my business. I told you before you don't know anything about what's gone on."

Turning, Chris stalked to the door. Before exiting the room he paused. "Thanks for getting her away from that bastard." Without turning to look at Aaron he walked through the door, closing it behind him. He was definitely going to have to do something about Martin, but first he needed to find out what was going on at Nathan's.

When Chris entered the clinic, Sammy was busy helping Nathan pack medical supplies into a bag. "What's going on?" he asked, looking around the room.

Josiah gestured to the boy who was standing beside him. Chris recognized him as an inhabitant of Kojay's village, but didn't know his name. His questioning look was quickly answered.

"This is Mahko, Kojay's grandson," Josiah stated. "Kojay sent him here to get Nathan. He doesn't know what's wrong, but from what he's said Vin rode in with Miss Bishop. She's hurt or injured."

"Whatever it is has gotta be bad if the tribe's medicine man can't handle it," Nathan commented as he secured the top to one of the saddle bags into which the supplies were being packed. "Josiah's goin' with me. He can come back and get anything else I might need."

"I want to go, too." Kevin jumped up from where he'd been sitting on the floor. "I can help."

Cognizant of their earlier discussion, Josiah shook his head slightly at Chris, indicating that he wanted to handle this. It wasn't that Chris wasn't good with Kevin, because he was very good with the boy. Josiah knew from observing his interactions with both Sammy and Kevin that despite Chris stern demeanor, he made a very good father. But the situation called for a little more tact than Chris was likely to give it.

"No, son. You'll help most by staying here. We'll have to move fast, and you aren't that comfortable on a horse yet." Josiah paused, trying to come up with something that would soften the blow. "Besides, Vin will feel better knowing that you're safe here in town."

Kevin eyed Josiah skeptically, wondering if the former priest was trying to pull something over on him. In his mind, he had to go with them to find out if Miss Bishop was okay. After all, it was his fault she was sick. If he hadn't gotten so angry at her and Vin nothing would have happened.

"I won't slow you down, I promise. I'm lots better on a horse."

Sammy sensed something was going on, but she couldn't put her finger on what. She didn't know why Kevin was so adamant about going, but she agreed with what Josiah had said. She crossed the room and put her arm around Kevin's shoulders and urged him toward the door.

"Come on, you can keep me company." She knew the boy liked hearing her play the piano, so she thought that might make a good distraction. "I'm working on a new piece and want your opinion on it." Mary had given her the gift of a music book so that she could learn the names of the notes she had been playing and some blank sheet music. She had been experimenting with writing down some the tunes that played in her head.

Grateful, Chris caught Sammy's eye as she led Kevin out the door. He nodded his head in thanks. Understanding, Sammy smiled in return. While she knew they still had a lot to discuss about what had happened that afternoon, she instinctively knew that all had been forgiven and everything was good once again.

Nathan and Josiah each grabbed a set of saddlebags and followed the children out the door, with Mahko following closely on Josiah's heels.

"Be safe," Chris said in parting. "If you need anything send someone from the village to get me."

The two men nodded. Chris watched as they mounted their horses and quickly rode out of town, following behind Mahko. He couldn't help but smile at the boy's eagerness to leave the town behind. Chris didn't know if it was the urgency of his mission or being in the town itself, but the boy had been antsy to leave as quickly as he could.

As Chris stepped down off the stairs that lead up to Nathan's clinic he heard someone calling his name. He turned and spotted Maude Standish hurrying his way, Ezra at her side. Chris couldn't hear what the gambler was saying, but from his body language and gestures, the gunman was sure he was attempting to talk his mother out of something. He had a bad feeling as to what that something might be.

He wished he could just turn and walk off in the other direction. But, he recalled that he had intended to speak with the woman about her visit to the boarding house the evening before. So, he waited impatiently until the pair reached him.

"Mr. Larabee, I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?" Maude stated by way of a greeting.

She ignored Ezra as he practically growled, "Mother, we discussed this."

Maude patted his arm and continued. "There is something I would like to speak with you about."

TBC

Author's note: I found the following words on an Apache language dictionary. They are used without any knowledge of appropriate syntax or punctuation. Rough translations are provided:

Inashoog Ndeeń – Christian Man

tichii bitsizii isdzan – red hair woman

Shichoo – Grandfather (paternal)

I wish I had been able to find something suitable for Nathan and for Vin, but the limited vocabulary I found didn't really have anything that worked.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Vin reined up the two horses when they entered a clearing by a small stream. He looked around at their location and glanced up at the position of the sun. Dismounting, he sighed. They had been traveling almost an hour and were only about a third of the way back to town. With his horse pulling Nancy on the travois they couldn't travel nearly as quickly as he would have liked.

He pulled the canteen off his saddle horn and taking a long drink, patted Ebony on the neck. The thoroughbred mare had a good disposition and amazing stamina. She was carrying a great deal more weight than she had to be used to and wasn't even winded. Vin moved to check the straps holding the travois to his horse's saddle. Finding them secure, he then led both horses to the stream so they could drink.

While the horses were quenching their thirst, Vin moved to check on Nancy. He was alarmed when he saw how still she was. At first he thought he had been too late and she had died, then he noticed the gentle rise and fall of her chest underneath the blanket. Gently touching his hand to her cheek, he felt the heat rising from her skin. She was already running a fever. Whether it was from the snake bite or an infection setting in from the unsterilize knife, he didn't know. But, he had to do something to try to cool her down.

Removing the bandana from around his neck, he dipped it into the cool water of the stream. Ringing it out to remove most of the liquid, Vin carried it back to where Nancy lay. He ran the cool cloth over her forehead and face and down the exposed skin of her neck. He would have liked to attempt to cool the rest of her body, but that would be too inappropriate, and they didn't have the time. Instead, he settled for damping the piece of cloth again and wrapping it around her neck.

The horses had finished drinking their fill and were munching on the tender grass growing on the stream's bank. He grabbed his horse's reins and mounted Ebony. Vin quickly made a decision and urged the mare forward, again traveling as quickly as he dared with the travois.

It was less than an hour later when Vin rode into Kojay's village. He was well known and well liked by the inhabitants and several people came forward to greet him. Word spread quickly that Vin was there and the person with him was injured or sick.

The news of Vin's arrival had reached Kojay, and the chief was standing outside his wikiup when he arrived. His keen eyes took in the worry on the younger man's face and the stillness of the woman lying on the travois. He quickly moved to Vin's side. "Dagot'ee shidizheè_"_

Vin knew he had to observe at least this basic formality. "Dagot'ee nchaa shik'isn." He reached out and grasped Kojay's proffered forearm. "I need your help."

Kojay nodded. "I know. What has happened?" At the chief's signal one of the young men standing nearby came forward to take the reins of the two horses. He would tend them once the woman had been removed from the travois.

"She was bitten by a snake," Vin replied as he moved to unfasten the bindings holding Nancy to the travois. "I tried to get all the poison out, but either I wasn't in time or I missed some. Either way, she's in bad shape." Vin lifted her into his arms and stepped away from the horses. He watched as the young man led the animals away, confident they would be well cared for. "I brought her here because I don't think she'll make it until I can get her to Nathan."

Kojay nodded. "Take her into my wikiup. I will also send someone for your friend Nathan."

"Thank you," Vin said and disappeared into the dwelling.

Kojay looked at concern on the faces of the people gathered. He spotted his grandson in the crowd and called him over. "Mahko, take my fastest horse and go fetch the healer from town." There was no need to clarify which town, as Four Corners was the only white man's town within less than a day's ride of the village. "Bring him back here as quickly as you can." He watched as the boy raced off in the direction of the corral where the tribes' horses were kept. "Zi-yeh," he called to a teenage girl who was standing nearby. "Go bring Leosanni," he directed, referring to the woman everyone in the village loving referred to as "Old Mother." Although she wasn't a healer or medicine woman, she helped to care for those who were sick or had been injured. "Tell her Vin Tanner's woman has been snake bit."

Sending up a silent prayer to the gods that the healers would be able to help the young woman, Kojay turned back to enter his wikiup. In the brief time he had seen the tracker cradling the sick young woman in his arms, he knew that Vin had found his heart mate. He sent up a silent prayer for her recovery. Surely the gods, either the traditional gods of his people or the one God of the Christians, would not take her away before they had a chance to realize the connection they had.

Later Vin was standing outside Kojay's wikiup while Leosanni and her daughter, Alopay, along with Zi-yeh were caring for Nancy. The old woman had chased Vin out of the dwelling, arguing that it was not proper for him to be there. Before he left, she had tried to assure him that Nancy would be okay, but he wasn't sure he believed her.

Ignoring the entreaty from one of the village women to come have something to eat, Vin began pacing, ignoring the hum of village life around him, while he wondered what was taking Nathan so long to get there. It wasn't that he didn't trust or believe the Apache medicine man, but Vin was sure there more going on than just the snake bite. He'd known people who had been bitten by sidewinders before, and none of them had gotten that sick.

Vin was still pacing when Leosanni stepped out of the wikiup. The old woman stretched her stiff muscles and stood for a moment, letting the heat of the sun warm her tired bones.

"Is she?" Vin couldn't bring himself to finish asking the question that immediately sprang to his mind.

"No, she remains the same, although her fever is down some, I think."

"Shouldn't she be wakin' up, then? There's gotta be a reason she's unconscious. I seen people who been bit by sidewinders, they don't react thatta way."

Leosanni thought it best not to mention that she had seen strong warriors die from injuries they otherwise should have healed from. She didn't know why that happened, but it did. She only hoped that this wasn't going to be one of those times.

"Your friend will be here soon. He will be able to help tichii bitsizii isdzan." She took a long look at Vin. "But you do not help her by pacing like nchaa gidi." The old woman signaled to a young girl who was stirring a pot over a nearby fire. The girl hurried to Leosanni's side. "Go with Dionta. Eat. I will send Alopay for you if tichii bitsizii isdzan wakes up."

Vin started to protest, but the look on the old woman's face told him she didn't want to hear any arguments. No wonder they all referred to her as "Old Mother", he thought. She could give Chris a run for his money with that glare. Deciding that arguing with her would be fighting a loosing battle, Vin nodded and, accepting the hand Dionta offered to him, accompanied her to the fire.

Vin had just finished his meal of venison stew and was handing his bowl and spoon back to Dionta when he heard the sound of horses coming in fast. He stood and looked in the direction of the noise and a sense of relief passed through him when he recognized Nathan and Josiah. Vin rushed forward to greet his friends and to thank Mahko for bringing them.

Nathan dismounted and pulled the saddle bags containing medical supplies from his horse. "What happened," he asked as soon as Vin had approached.

"Nancy was changing clothes behind some boulders and got bit by a sidewinder. I tried to suck all the venom out, but I don't think I got all 'a it. She's runnin' a fever and won't wake up. Been that way for a few hours now."

Nathan nodded and grasped his friend by the shoulder. He hadn't missed Vin's use of the woman's first name. "I promise I'll do whatever I can for her."

Vin pulled Nathan's hand from his shoulder and grasped it in a show of support. "I know you will. Come on, I'll show you where she is. Some of the women have been tendin' to her, tryin' to bring her fever down and such, but they won't let me stay with her."

Nathan smiled. He wasn't surprised. After all, he had been around the tribe enough to know that in their own way the women here were as protective of propriety and appearances as any southern belle. Plus, there was probably some cultural something or other about a man being around a sick woman.

Josiah had dismounted as well. He heard the worry in Vin's voice and moved forward to draw the other man aside. "Let Nathan see to her. You'll only be in his way inside. Why don't you help me tend the horses. We rode hard to get here, and they could use some attention."

Vin didn't want to leave the front of the wikiup. He was trying to convince himself that now that Nathan was here everything would be fine, but he wasn't quite successful. Still, he gave into his friend's request, knowing that if something happened Nathan would send someone to fetch him.

About half an hour later the horses had been brushed down and given food and water. Vin was approaching Kojay's wikiup when Nathan stepped out.

"Well?"

Nathan shook his head. "She's in shock. All I can do is keep her warm and try to bring her fever down. The fever is from an infection that set up in the wound."

Vin cursed. "It's all my fault. I shoulda taken time ta sterilize my knife."

"Then even more of the venom would have gotten into her system, and she might not have made it. We're treating the infection. It isn't really that serious."

Ignoring the comforting hand Josiah placed on his shoulder, Vin met Nathan's eyes. "Tell me straight, Nathan. Is she going to make it?"

Nathan met Vin's gaze. "I don't know. She's young and she's strong, so she has a good chance. All we can do is treat her symptoms and wait and see."

TBC

Author's note: Although the television series never identified which tribe Kojay and his people were members of, I've taken the liberty of placing them with the Apache. In the last chapter I referred to Kojay's dwelling as a tepee. I've since done some research and discovered that traditional Apache dwellings were called wikiups. I apologize to anyone who was offended by my error.

As with the previous chapter, I have used some Apache language words without any understanding of syntax or grammar. These words are translated as follows:

_Dagot'ee shidizheè_ – Greetings younger brother.

_Dagot'ee nchaa shik'isn _– Greetings older (big) brother.

_tichii bitsizii isdzan_ – red hair woman

_nchaa gidi _– big cat

Leosanni does not translate to "Old Mother." I found the name on a list of nineteenth century Apache names. No translation was provided, but I liked the name and felt it fit.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Chris swirled the glass of whiskey in his hand. Between what had happened with Sammy and Aaron, Mahko's arrival and Nathan and Josiah's subsequent departure, and dealing with Maude's latest scheme it had been a long day.

He still couldn't believe the brass of Ezra's mother. Chris had already made it perfectly clear that Sammy's talent wasn't to be exploited for monetary gain. However, that hadn't stopped the woman from proposing that Sammy perform in concert so that the good people living in and around Four Corners could enjoy her talents, for an admission fee, of course.

Glancing at Ezra, Chris saw the contrite look on his face. The message being sent was that the gambler had attempted to dissuade his mother from her current ideas. Well, maybe he would be more successful, Chris had thought. "Let's get this straight once and for all, Maude. If Sammy wants to play for people she can decide when and where she wants to do it. She's not going to be giving concerts just so you can line your pockets with admission fees. In fact, I want you to forget all about any ideas you might to make money off her, 'cause if I hear anything more about it I won't be responsible for my actions. And that includes you talkin' to her about, it. Are we clear?"

Maude's eyes had widened at Chris's pronouncement. She nodded her understanding, but that wasn't enough for the gunman. "I wanna hear you say it," he demanded.

"Yes, that is clear," Maude replied, her voice slightly shaky.

Chris glanced back at Ezra to gauge his reaction to the current turn of events and saw that his friend was desperately attempting to hide a grin behind a serious expression. He couldn't help but wonder at how pleased the gambler seemed to be at his mother being taken down a notch to two. Maybe Ezra was changing his spots after all.

After leaving Maude and Ezra, Chris had gone in search of Martin. The boy was someone else Chris wanted to take down a peg or two. It was high time he learned how to treat women, and Chris was just the person to teach him that particular lesson. For all the things he had done to earn him his fierce reputation, Chris had always made a point of treating women right. Treating a woman wrong was something a man just didn't do.

Chris searched until it became evident that Martin had high tailed it out of town. He'd headed back to the jail to clear his head and get a rein on his temper.

Downing the shot of whiskey, Chris supposed he should go back to the boarding house to check on Sammy and relieve her of her babysitting duties. He stood to return the bottle of whiskey to the cabinet in the corner of the room. Grabbing his hat off the desk, he started for the door. Before he made it more than a few steps the door flew open and Sammy came rushing in.

"He's gone. I can't find him anywhere," she exclaimed, slightly out of breath.

Chris's senses went on high alert. "Who's gone?"

"Kevin. We were in the parlor. I was playing one of my new tunes for him when he said he had to go to the outhouse. I told him to go on, but he never came back. I started to get worried and went lookin' for him," Sammy explained. "I can't find him anywhere."

"Where all did you look?" Chris asked, coming to stand in front of her. He figured there weren't that many places in town Kevin would go. But if he eliminated the places Sammy had already looked, it might make finding the boy easier.

Kevin made his way through town to the livery stable. His conscious was bothering him at the thought of having lied to Sammy and sneaking away from the boarding house. But, he had to find out what was happening with Vin and Miss Bishop. The only way that was going to happen was if he followed Nathan and Josiah to the Indian village. Kevin had been there before a couple of times with Vin and thought he remembered how to get there.

The only hitch in his plan was how he was going to get there. Vin had been teaching him how to ride, and he was more comfortable around horses. But, he had never saddle one, nor had he ever ridden by himself.

Kevin was still standing in front of the stall of the horse he'd chosen when he heard footsteps approaching the stable. He knew that if he got caught, whoever had found him would stop him from leaving. He also knew that if it was Chris coming to look for him, he was probably in trouble, especially since he still remembered the gunman's reaction when he had hidden in a wagon. Looking around, Kevin spotted the ladder leading to the loft of the stable. He quickly moved toward it and started climbing.

Luck was not on Kevin's side. He was almost to the top when Buck strolled into the building. He had come to check on his horse, as the animal had been favoring its right hind foot. Movement caught his eye, and he easily spotted the boy making his way up the loft ladder. His suspicions growing, Buck made his way over to the ladder. "Whatta ya' doin' up there, Lil' Pard?"

Kevin jerked in surprise and nearly fell from the ladder. "Nuthin'."

"Well, why don't you come down from there," Buck stated, reaching up to pull the boy from the ladder. He knew there was something more going on than Kevin was willing to admit. Word of what was happening with Vin and Nancy Bishop had made its way around town. He suspected that had something to do with why the boy was in the barn. "And why don't you tell Ole Buck what you're actually doing here."

Kevin shrugged and stepped away from the tall gunman. "I weren't doin' nothing – just explorin' some."

"I thought Chris sent you back to the boardin' house with Sammy." Buck studied the boy closely. "You wouldn't be thinkin' 'a tryin' to take off somewhere would you?" Like trying to follow Nathan and Josiah to Kojay's village, he thought.

The look on Kevin's face was more than answer enough.

"That's what I thought. Come on," he said, taking Kevin by the arm.

"You ain't gonna tell Chris are you?" Kevin knew that with Vin out of town, Chris was the one he'd be answering to. Although he'd gotten used to living with the gunman, there were still times Kevin was intimidated by him. That was especially true when Chris was angry, and an angry Chris Larabee wasn't something the boy particularly wanted to deal with.

Buck nearly grinned at the note of worry in Kevin's voice. He picked the boy up and sat him on a nearby bale of hay. "You promise that if I take you back to the boarding house you'll stay there and not try to take off again?"

Kevin looked into Buck's gentle eyes. "What's gonna happen if I don't?"

"Well then, I'll take you to Chris and let you tell him what you were plannin' on doin'." He paused a moment. "If you give me your word, I won't tell Chris anything."

Kevin thought carefully. He had a good idea of what would happen if Chris found out he was planning to try to follow Nathan and Josiah to the Indian village. From the few swats he'd received from the blond gunman, he didn't want to experience anything more than that. Plus, promising Buck that he'd stay put didn't mean he couldn't try again later. "Okay, I promise."

"Good boy," Buck replied as he took a seat on the hay bale beside Kevin. "I know you're worried about what's goin' on. We all are."

"You are?" Kevin was a little surprised at Buck's admission.

"Yep, we are. We don't know what's happenin' at the reservation, and all we can do is wait for Josiah to return with news. It's scary." Buck glanced down at the boy sitting beside him. "But runnin' off like you was plannin' ain't going to help matters any. Instead, it'd just make 'em worse."

"Really?" Kevin was a bit skeptical.

Buck grinned. "Well now, if you were to run off nobody's know where to look for you. With Vin gone, who'd track you down for us. We'd all be so worried about you that we might plum forget about Miss Bishop. You wouldn't want that would you?"

Kevin shook his head in reply.

"And what if we weren't able to find you? What then?"

Kevin didn't respond, but Buck could tell the boy was thinking about what he'd said.

"In fact, I'd bet Chris and Sammy are worried about where you are right now." Buck had spotted them approaching the stable. He'd be willing to bet that he'd snuck off and Sammy had panicked when she'd realized he was missing.

"You think so," Kevin asked, the sudden worry evident in his voice. His attention was on Buck, so he didn't notice Chris step into the stable. Buck's nearly imperceptible shake of his head clearly communicated to Chris to wait a moment.

"I do. You might wanna think about apologizin' to 'em for scarin' 'em."

Again, Kevin shrugged. "Maybe. You think Chris is gonna be mad at me?"

"I don't know," Buck stated, inclining his head in the other man's direction. "Why don't you ask him."

Kevin swallowed hard and turned to look in the direction Buck indicated.

Chris stepped forward. He'd heard enough of Buck's conversation with Kevin to know there was more going on than appeared on the surface. "You want to tell me why you're in the livery stable when I told you to go to the boarding house? And why you lied to Sammy about goin' to the outhouse?"

Turning back to Buck, Kevin's eyes were silently pleading for the man's help. Instead, Buck stood. "Tell Chris want's botherin' ya. He'll understand." With that, he tipped his hat and moved toward the stable door. Pausing when he reached Chris, he said softly, "he's worried about Vin and Miss Bishop. I think he was just lookin' for something to take his mind off it."

Chris looked hard at his friend. He knew Buck was full of b.s., but chose not to call him on it. Clearly, his friend thought he was helping the boy by keeping whatever they had discussed secret. Chris was willing to encourage that kind of trust, as Kevin needed someone he could confide in and know his secrets would be kept. Finally, he nodded his understanding and agreement.

As Buck left the stable, he spotted Sammy. "He's in here," he yelled, getting the girl's attention. "Chris is with him," Buck explained when she came to stand beside him. "Give 'em a few minutes to talk some things over."

"Okay," Sammy nodded, relieved that Kevin was safe. The thought that he'd taken off to look for Vin and Nancy had crossed her mind more than once during the time she'd spent searching for him before going to Chris for help. "Let Chris know I'll be waiting on them at the jail, would you." When Buck agreed, she turned and walked off.

Inside the stable, Chris had moved to the hay bale where Kevin was still sitting. "You wanna tell me what you're doin' here instead of at the boarding house?"

Kevin swallowed hard and shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know," Chris repeated, his voice developing a hard edge which worried Kevin. "I think you do know, so try again."

Kevin thought for a moment before answer. He didn't think Chris would be too happy to learn that he'd been planning on going after Nathan and Josiah, and that might mean painful consequences for his backside. Truth be told, the only reason he was still there was because Buck had arrived while he was still trying to figure out how to saddle a horse. That was something that Vin hadn't yet taught him. Looking at the stern, expectant expression on Chris' face, Kevin briefly wondered if he'd be able to get away with telling a fib. Quickly deciding that wasn't such a good idea, he signed. Hopefully the fact that he was only planning to leave, but hadn't actually done it, wouldn't be quite as bad.

"I was going to try to follow Nathan and Josiah to the Indian village," he said in a rush, hoping that it wouldn't sound as bad as he thought it did.

It took Chris a moment to digest what Kevin had said. "What the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay at the boarding house for a reason, and you sure as hell cain't go runnin' off like that." He stopped, remembering what Buck had said to him. Reining in his temper, he sighed. "Look, I know you're worried. We all are. None of us will know anything until Josiah returns with news," he said, repeating exactly what Buck had said to Kevin only a few minutes before. "But tryin' to find your way to Kojay's village on your own ain't the answer. All you would have accomplished was getting your damn fool self lost."

Kevin nodded, his head hanging in remorse. "Yes, sir."

Chris leaned down and braced his hands on either side of Kevin so that he stood eye to eye with the boy. "I ain't gonna punish you this time since you did it 'cause you're worried. But you ever get it in your mind to take off again, I'll blister your ass wherever I find you. You understand me?"

Again, Kevin nodded and responded affirmatively.

Chris stood and held out his hand. "Good, come on. Sammy was worried about you, and I think you owe her an apology."

Kevin grasped his hand and jumped down from the hay bale. "I didn't mean to worry her, or you," he said, sending an apologetic look Chris's direction.

"I know you didn't, but that's what happens when you don't think things through. Next time stop and think about what could happen before you do anything." Chris put his hand on Kevin's shoulder and guided him toward the door of the stable.

As they exited the building, Buck joined them. "Sammy's waitin' on you at the jail." When Chris nodded, Buck continued, "you two get everything straightened out?" He had heard the entire conversation between the gunman and the boy, and was proud of Kevin for admitting what he had planned. He'd have to take the boy out for a riding lesson one day soon as a reward.

The small group was on its way back to the jail when a young man stepped out of a nearby alley into the street, blocking their path. "Chris Larabee, I hear you've been lookin' for me."

TBC

Author's Note: I'm starting to grow bored with this story. I will probably wind this up with the next chapter or two. Don't worry, I'm going to tie up all the story lines so that nothing is left hanging.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

"_I don't know."_ Nathan's words kept playing through Vin's mind. He had gone to the corral to check on his horse and Ebony, Nancy's thoroughbred mare. Vin knew the animals were being well cared for, but he needed some time to himself to think.

Returning to the village's common area, he approached Kojay's wikiup. As he neared, Vin watched as Nathan stepped out of the structure and stretched the kinks out of his muscles. "I want to see her, talk to her. Maybe that would help."

Nathan looked at his friend. He should have known by the way Leosanni had reacted to his presence in the wikiup that the older woman would have refused to allow Vin inside. Nodding, he said, "sure, that's probably a good idea."

Drawing aside the hide that hung in the doorway, he entered, leaving Vin to follow.

Leosanni laboriously rose to her feet and made shooing motions toward Vin. "He should not be here. It is not right."

Nathan smiled. The old woman had been guarding Nancy like a mother hen. "I think it will be okay. You or Zi-yeh can stay with him, but I think hearing his voice will help Nancy."

Leosanni eyed the healer skeptically. Her scrutinizing gaze lasted so long, Vin thought she was going to refuse again. He would hate to have to throw her out of the wigwam, but if that was what he had to do to get to sit with Nancy, that's what was going to happen. Finally she agreed, and after instructing Zi-yeh to stay with them, she left the dwelling.

Vin wasted no time in moving to Nancy's side. He had a hard time reconciling this pale, still woman with the one who only hours before had been so full of life. Taking her hand in his, Vin rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "I ain't any good at stuff like this," he said, his voice rough with emotion, "but Nathan seems to think that hearin' a familiar voice might help you wake up."

He glanced up at Nathan, who nodded encouragingly. "You gotta wake up now and meet the people in the village. They've been helpin' me and Nathan take care 'a ya'. I'm sorry I ain't been here sooner, but Old Mother didn't think it was proper for me to be in here with you, since we ain't married. You'd like her. She reminds me a bit of Josiah and Chris." Vin gave a short laugh at his own comment. "How's that for a combination?"

Later, Vin would have sworn he'd talked more than he ever had in his life. He had carried on a one-sided conversation about the village, life in Four Corners, and his past as a buffalo hunter. He'd made a conscious decision to leave out his time as a bounty hunter. He was running out of things to talk about when he felt Nancy's hand twitch against his own. Afraid he was imagining things, he didn't move, but said carefully, "Nancy?"

Nancy's hand twitched again.

"Nathan," Vin nearly shouted, even though the healer was only a short distance away on the other side of the small wikiup. "I think she's startin' to wake up."

Nathan rushed to Nancy's side. "What happened?"

After Vin explained about feeling Nancy's hand twitch, he nodded. "Go on, keep talkin' to her. Encourage her to open her eyes."

Nancy felt like she was swimming through a thick fog. She could hear voices in the distance. She thought she recognized them as Vin's and Nathan Jackson's, but she couldn't tell what they were saying. However, as she struggled to the surface she heard them encouraging her to wake up. That confused her. Wake up from what? She hadn't known she had been asleep. Come to think of it, why were Vin and Nathan even here?

When Nancy finally surfaced, she opened her eyes and looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. She didn't know where she was or how she had gotten there. The first face she saw was Vin's.

"Nathan, she's awake."

She didn't know what she had been expecting Vin to say, but that wasn't exactly it. She tried to speak, intending to tell Vin exactly what she thought of his comment, but her mouth and throat were so dry nothing came out but a hoarse croak.

"Here, have her drink some of this."

Nancy turned her head to look in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman holding a bowl out to Nathan. Once again, Nancy wondered where she was.

"Move over, Vin," Nathan directed, nudging his friend aside. "I need to take a look at her." Turning to look into Nancy's eyes, he said, "welcome back. We were starting to wonder if you were ever goin' to wake up. Do you hurt anywhere?"

Nancy took inventory. She had a slight headache and her left leg hurt. Suddenly she remembered the snake that had bitten her and Vin sucking the venom out of the wound. But that still didn't explain where she was. Her questioning eyes met Nathan's as she nodded.

"Okay, take a drink of this." He smiled as her eyebrows rose in question. "It's just water, I promise. You'll be able to talk easier afterwards."

At the healer's nod, Vin moved in to help support Nancy as she drank from the small wooden bowl.

"Not so quickly," Nathan warned as she started to gulp the cool liquid. "Just sip it or you'll get sick."

She certainly didn't want that to happen, so Nancy sipped at the water. As soon as she felt able she asked, "where are we?"

"We're in a village on the Apache reservation," Vin responsed. "Nathan and the rest of us are friends with the people who live here. I brought you here instead of going back to town because it was closer. You became unconscious, and I didn't think I had enough time to get you to town. Kojay, the chief sent someone after Nathan. In the meantime, Zi-yeh," Vin indicated the young woman, "and another woman by the name of Leosanni helped take care of you."

Nancy turned to Zi-yeh. "Thank you."

Zi-yeh rose to her feet. "You are welcome, _tichii bitsizii isdzan_." Turning to Vin she said, "I will fetch Old Mother and have her tell your friend, Josiah, that your woman is awake." She stepped to the opening of the wikkiup and moving the hide cover aside, called to someone nearby.

"What did she just call me?" Nancy hadn't missed the comment about her being Vin's woman. The thought thrilled her, but she decided it would be better if she remained silent about it.

"_Tichii bitsizii isdzan?"_ Vin asked, oblivious that Nancy's question had been about Zi-yeh calling her Vin's woman. "It means red hair woman. I told them your name, but they have taken to calling you that."

Any further questions Nancy was planning to ask were interrupted by the entrance of an old woman into the wikkiup. She was carrying another, larger bowl, the contents of which were sending a fragrant steam into the air.

"That's Leosanni, but everyone calls her Old Mother," Vin said softly enough that only Nancy heard him. "I think she'd give Chris a run for his money."

Nancy smiled at that, but her amusement soon grew to concern when Leosanni handed the bowl to her and ordered her to eat and then began shooing Vin and Nathan from the dwelling.

"Please don't make them go."

"It is best," Leosanni stated, not intending to back down. "They need to eat, and you need to rest. They can come back later. But now, they must go."

Vin leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Nancy's cheek before rising to his feet. "I'll be back as soon as the general will let me."

Nancy nodded, too surprised by Vin's actions to speak. She was brought out of her daydream by a light slap on her shoulder. Nancy looked up to see Leosanni looking at her expectantly.

"Eat."

"Yes, ma'am," she responded, picking up the spoon for a first tentative taste. The stew tasted as delicious as it smelled.

Vin joined Nathan at the fire that had been kept burning near the entrance to Kojay's wikiup. Accepting the bowl one of the women handed to him, he began eating. He was so lost in thought that he neither spoke nor tasted the food he was putting in his mouth. After a few minutes of silence, he admitted, "I was afraid she wasn't going to make it, Nathan."

"Yeah, me too."

"I hear there's good news," Josiah interrupted before Nathan could elaborate any further.

Nathan looked up and gestured for the big man to join them by the fire. He was no sooner seated than a bowl of food appeared by his side. Picking it up, Josiah sampled the food and gratefully thanked the young woman who had brought it to him. After a few bites, he asked, "so, what's going on?"

"Nancy's awake," Nathan responded. "It may be a little soon, but I think she's out of danger."

"That is good news," Josiah responded, silently sending up a prayer of thanks. Finishing his meal, he stood. "I'll head back to town to let them know."

"Thanks for your help, Josiah," Vin responded.

TBC

**Author's note: Thanks to everyone who commented on my last chapter. I suppose I'm starting to grow bored with this story because ideas for another story are starting to take over my creative juices. So, I'll probably tie this one up with the next chapter. **


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

_The small group was on its way back to the jail when a young man stepped out of a nearby alley into the street, blocking their path. "Chris Larabee, I hear you've been lookin' for me."_

"Martin," Chris responded at the same time that Buck grabbed Kevin by the shoulder. He turned the boy toward the newspaper office, the closest building, and gave him a slight shove.

"Get inside and you stay there until one of us comes for you."

Kevin nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation, and took off running toward the _Clarion_.

Mary was working in the front office when the door flew open and Kevin came running in. "What's wrong?" she demanded, knowing something serious was happening for the boy to be acting that way.

"Martin is challenging Chris to a gunfight. You've got to stop him, Chris is gonna get hurt," Kevin stated, his eyes pleading with Mary to do something.

"Go up stairs and play with Billy," Mary directed. When Kevin hesitated, she turned him toward the stairway at the back of the building and urged him along with a light swat to his backside. "Don't worry, I'll see what I can do."

Reluctantly, Kevin followed her directions and headed toward the staircase. As soon as she heard his footsteps on the wooden stairs, she moved to the door and stepped out onto the porch. What she saw as the door closed behind her made her blood run cold. Chris and Buck stood in the middle of the dusty street, facing off against Martin Williams. None of the men had their guns drawn, but given their body language, it was only a matter of time before that happened.

"You don't have to do this, son," Chris stated, taking a small step toward Martin.

"You're wrong about that, old man," Martin replied. To his mind, he had to take Chris Larabee out now or the man would be a thorn in his side for the rest of his life. The fact that taking down the black-clad gunman would boost his own reputation wouldn't hurt.

"Listen to the man, son," Buck interrupted. "This won't end well for you."

Martin turned to Buck, "Stay out 'a this, it ain't any 'a your business."

"You and me, now," Martin said, turning back to Chris and resting his hand on the butt of the gun resting on his hip.

Chris glanced in Buck's direction and shrugged. Movement on the porch in front of the _Clarion _caught his attention and he mentally cursed when he spotted Mary standing there. Turning back to the business at hand Chris continued, "boy wants to die today, who am I to stop him?" Turning to Martin, he stated, "Your call."

"You're the one gonna be dyin' today," Martin replied, the hand resting on his gun butt twitching slightly. He started to draw his gun, but before the barrel of the revolver cleared its leather sheath, a bullet slammed into this right shoulder, rendering his arm useless. The impact of the bullet sent the younger man falling backward into the dusty street.

"Nice shot, Pard," Buck grinned, smacking Chris on the shoulder and the gunman slip his pistol back into its holster.

"I'll take this guy off your hands."

"Who the hell are you?" Chris asked the man who had stepped forward and pulled Martin to his feet. He was dressed in dusty trail clothes and was in his early twenties.

"Michael Langdon, Deputy U.S. Marshall," he replied. Looking around the street and seeing the number of curious eyes turned their way, he asked "there someplace we can discuss this in private?"

"Jailhouse," Chris stated, walking off in that direction. "Bring him with you."

"Hey," Martin protested. "What about my shoulder? Ain't anybody gonna take care 'a it? I'm gonna die, here."

"Quit your belly aching and come on," Langdon said, grabbing Martin by the collar of his shirt, and dragging him along. "You ain't gonna die, at least not yet. I can't guarantee your changes with him, though," he commented, nodding his head toward the black-clad gunman who was leading the way to the jail. Michael hadn't missed the fact that Buck was trailing behind them, watching to make sure the timely intervention of the deputy marshall wasn't some sort of scheme.

The moment Chris stepped into the jail, Sammy rushed up to him. "What happened? I heard a gunshot." She paled when she spotted Martin being led into the building by a stanger. Sammy turned questioning eyes to Chris.

"We've got some business with Martin and Deputy Langdon," Chris answered her unasked question. "Kevin is at Mary's. I'll go by and get him when we're done here. You can head back to the boarding house if you like."

Sammy nodded and edged past the men standing in the doorway. She half expected Martin to try to grab her as she passed, but assumed the stranger's hold on his collar, along with the very obvious bullet hole in his shoulder prevented him from making a move.

Michael watched Sammy leave the building. "Who's the girl?" he asked.

"My daughter," Chris replied. The hard edge to his voice clearly warning Michael away from her. "You wanna tell me why I should hand Martin over to you?"

"I've been tracking him since Silver Springs. He's wanted for a bank robbery and murder there about a year ago."

Chris nodded. Given what had happened a while back with Vin and Eli Joe sending one of his men in the guise of a federal marshal, he was reluctant to take the stranger on his word, even though the younger man had shown him a marshal's badge. "Judge Travis is due in at the first of the week. Martin can stay in one of my cells, and the Judge can decide."

"I'm a deputy U.S. Marshall. I have the right to arrest this man and transport him wherever I want."

"Yeah, you showed me your badge," Chris replied. "But, I got reason to know that carrying a badge don't necessary make you a lawman. 'Sides, you ain't given me anything but your word that Martin, here, is anything other than a stupid sonuvabitch."

"Hey," Martin protested. "I ain't done anything. You gotta let me go so's I can go see the doc for my shoulder."

"You ain't goin' anywhere but into that cell, so you'd best just shut up about it," Buck responded, shoving Martin forward. "We'll send someone over to tend you, but Nathan's out at the Apache reservation takin' care of the school teacher." He slammed the cell door closed, and locked it before tossing the key ring to Chris.

Moving behind the desk, Chris dropped the keys into the lap drawer and shut it. He looked over at Michael Langdon. "I suggest you go get a room and wait for the judge to arrive, 'cause I ain't gonna change my mind. And don't go thinkin' you can get him out of here without us stoppin' you. Better men then you have tried that and failed."

Buck interrupted before Michael could respond. "I'll stand guard. I get the feelin' you got something to discuss with our local newspaper publisher." He had spotted Mary standing on the front porch of the building which housed the _Clarion_, and he had seen the look on Chris's face when he'd spotted the woman. Buck knew that look, and almost felt sorry for the woman.

Chris nodded. "I send Ezra or J.D. over to relieve you in a couple of hours." He stared at Michael until the younger man got the message and turned and strode out of the jail, slamming the door behind himself.

"Whooee, he ain't happy with you, pard," Buck commented.

Chris shrugged. "He ain't the first, and he won't be the last. There's just something that isn't ringing true about his story."

A few moments later, Chris was making his way toward the newspaper office when Josiah rode into town. The gunman stopped and waited for his friend to approach. "What's going on?"

Josiah dismounted and inclined his head toward the livery stable, indicating he was going to take care of his horse. Chris walked that direction with him. "Nathan's still at the reservation with Vin and Miss Bishop. Apparently when they stopped so she could change out of her riding clothes, she got bit by a sidewinder. She had a bad reaction to the venom, but should be okay. They'll probably head back in a couple of days after she's gotten some strength back."

Chris nodded. "That's good." He proceeded to fill Josiah in on what had transpired that morning.

"I'll go get something to eat than check in with Buck to see if he needs anything," Josiah stated and walked off in the direction of the saloon.

Chris made his way from the livery to the _Clarion_. He wanted to pass the news about Vin and Miss Bishop on to Kevin. But first, he had a bone to pick with Mary.

Like many times before when he'd entered the newspaper office, Mary was working at her desk. Chris assumed both boys were playing upstairs.

Mary looked up at the sound of the door opened and closed. She watched as Chris ambled across the room and came to stand in front of her desk. She started to smile in greeting, but something about his body language told her that was a good idea.

Chris confirmed her suspicions when braced his hand on her desk and leaned forward until his face was inches from hers. Mary wondered what had put his in this mood, but her curiosity was quickly answered when he said, "I ought to turn you over my knee, you know that?"

Mary sat back in her chair. That was exactly what she had been expecting him to say. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh yes you do. I saw you standing out on the porch during my confrontation with Martin. You were putting yourself in danger again for no good reason. Obviously, you didn't learn your lesson the last time we had this conversation." Chris really didn't intend to turn her over his knee, especially with the boys just upstairs, but he wanted her thinking he was going to it.

"I was never in any danger, Chris. I knew you weren't going to allow anything to happen."

Chris straightened, not taking his eyes from Mary's face. "You had no way of knowing that. For all you knew, Martin could have fired a wild shot that could have hit you."

Mary didn't look away from his gaze, but met his stare with one of her own. After several seconds of tense silence, Chris continued. "This is the only warning you get. You put yourself in danger like that again, and I won't care that Billy is just upstairs. I'll tan your hide. You understand me?"

Mary nodded, not sure she could speak coherently for the anger coursing through her. How dare he treat her like a disobedient child. Her anger must have shown on her face, because Chris asked, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"No," Mary answered tersely.

"Good, because I told you once I care too much for you to have to bury you. I'll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening." What he couldn't say aloud was that he didn't think he would be able to handle burying another woman that he loved.

Mary's anger dissipated somewhat with his words. She, too, understood what Chris hadn't said. Nodding her understanding, she asked, "Was there anything else you wanted?"

"In fact, there was," Chris stated. He proceeded to fill her in on the news that Josiah had brought back from the Apache reservation.

TBC

**Author's Note: Thank you to every for your reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying my story. **

**In case you were wondering, the confrontation between Chris and Mary is a reference to my story, When It Rains.**


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

It was a few more days before Nathan thought Nancy was strong enough for the ride back to Four Corners. If it had been up to her, they would have left on the journey the day after she awakened. It wasn't that she wasn't made to feel welcome in the Indian village, but it wasn't home. She was also concerned about the children and the fact that where was no one in town to hold classes.

"I still think I should be able to ride my own horse," she complained. She and Vin were riding double on his horse.

Nathan remained silent. In his opinion, the woman could ride on her own, at least for part of the way. But, Vin had overridden him, insisting that Nancy ride with him instead.

"I done told you you're ridin' with me." Vin felt like he was dealing with someone Kevin's age, not a grown woman. "Keep it up, and I might just strap you down on a travois, and you can ride back to town that way."

Nancy was tempted to argue with him, just to see what he would do, but decided Vin probably had a point. She did tire easily, and it was so comfortable, leaning back against his strong chest. It still irked her, though. Nancy wasn't used to being unable to do whatever she wanted, and being told otherwise had her wanting to argue just for the principal of the matter.

"Nathan, when you think I can start teaching again?" she asked, afraid she knew what the answer would be.

"We'll have to wait and see, but it'll probably take a week or so for you to get enough of your strength back."

"That's what I was afraid you'd say." Nancy sighed. She knew she would go crazy just sitting around with nothing to do but rest. Plus, she was concerned for the children who would be missing out on learning because she was unable to be in the classroom. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "What if I had some help? Maybe Sammy or one of the other teenage girls in town would be willing to assist me, that way I won't tire myself out."

"That's a good idea," Nathan stated. "I'm sure Sammy would be glad to help. What do you think, Vin."

"Maybe, I don't want you tiring yourself out, though."

Meanwhile . . .

Chris was sitting on the front porch of the jail, reading a novel and sipping a cup of coffee. He looked up from his book at the sound of the stagecoach coming in. Anyone watching the gunman would assume he was relaxed, without a care in the world, but Chris was on high alert. He was watching to see who exited the stage when it drew to a stop. Relieved to see only Judge Travis exit the stage, Chris stood and waited for the older man to approach the jail.

Judge Oren Travis looked around the town as he approached the jail. "Quiet today," he said, extending his hand to Chris.

"For the moment, at least," Chris replied.

"Got your telegram about Martin Williams. You wanna tell me what's goin' on?" Judge Travis took a seat on the bench on the jail's porch.

Chris leaned against the porch railing. He drew a cheroot and match out of his shirt pocket. Putting the cheroot between his lips, Chris struck the match on the wooden railing and lit the thin cigarette. Only then did he answer the Judge's question.

"We were havin' it out over somethin' he did to Sammy, when some kid comes up claimin' to be a deputy U.S. Marshall by the name 'a Michael Langdon. He said he was takin' Martin in for a bank robbery and murder over in Silver Springs." Chris drew deep on the cheroot, then looked at the glowing tip as though contemplating his next words. "He didn't have any papers on him for Martin, and I don't remember hearing anything about a robbery in Silver Springs in the last year or so."

"Just want are you wanting from me?"

"I need you to verify that Langdon is who he says he is."

Judge Travis nodded. "Well, I know of a marshal by the name of Michael Langdon, but I've never met him." He sighed and stood. "I'll send a couple of telegrams. If we're lucky, we'll have an answer in a few hours."

Judge Travis had no sooner left than Michael Langdon showed up at the jail. "Was that the judge I just saw you talking to?" he asked, coming to standing at the bottom of the porch steps.

"Yeah," Chris responded shortly.

"Well, can I take my prisoner and be on my way?"

"Not yet," Chris responded. If the younger man had known the gunman better, he would have known that the slight smile that crossed Chris's face was a warning. "Why don't you just make this easier on everyone and tell me who you really are."

"I told you who I am."

"Yeah, I know who you say you are," Chris said straightening. His right hand rested lightly on the butt of the revolver strapped at his hip. "But I ain't never seen anyone wearin' a marshal's badge not have papers of some kind on the person they're tryin' to arrest. You showed up here without so much as a wanted poster. Forgive me if I'm a bit suspicious. Judge Travis is sending some telegrams to get answers. If they're the right ones, you can take your prisoner. If not," Chris shrugged, leaving the final threat hanging unspoken.

Michael was fuming. He had never been questioned the way he had in this town. True, he'd only been a deputy U.S. Marshal for a short period of time, but most people respected that and gave him what he wanted. Rather than pull his gun and demand his prisoner be turned over to him, the younger man smiled. "Well, I supposed we'll just have to wait and see." He turned and walked off in the direction of the saloon. If it came to it, he'd catch the jail unguarded and break Martin Williams out of his cell, but he was going to take the boy back to Silver Springs to stand trial if it was the last thing he did.

"Hell," Chris swore and dug another cheroot out of his shirt pocket. He really wanted a drink, but he didn't want to leave the jail unguarded to go get one. They'd emptied the bottle of whiskey that had been in the filing cabinet and had yet to replace it. Instead, he sat back down and picked up the book he'd abandoned when the judge had arrived. Briefly, he wondered if the day would get any worse.

He didn't have long to wait before his question was answered. Buck wondered up and joined Chris on the jail's porch. Chris looked over at his friend, but remained silent. After a few minutes, Buck finally spoke.

"That kid claimin' to be a deputy U.S. marshal is in the saloon runnin' his mouth 'bout how you're keepin' him from doin' his job."

"Let him," Chris responded shortly. "Ain't no skin off my nose. Judge gets answers showing the kid is who he claims, then I'll be more'n happy to turn Martin over to him."

Buck leaned back and stretched his long legs out in front of him. "Yep, I suppose not. Why don't you take a break? I'll watch the jail."

Chris nodded and stood. Buck watched as the gunman made his way down the street to the saloon. He knew his friend well enough to know that Chris would ignore what the kid was saying only so long before he lost his temper. Buck almost felt sorry for the kid.

When Chris entered the saloon, the tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. He immediately spotted the source of the tension. Michael Langdon was at the bar, and so was J.D. The young gunman had yet to develop a thick skin and tended to take things personally. It was a trait that had more than once gotten him into trouble, and from the look of things was about to get him into trouble again. His body language clearly telegraphed his anger, and his hand was resting on the butt of his gun.

"J.D.," Chris called the younger man's name as he stepped further into the room. When J.D.'s gaze met his, Chris inclined his head toward the door. "Go give Buck a hand at the jail."

J.D. started to protest, but Chris's body language clearly told him that would be a very bad idea. Giving Langdon one final glare, he stalked off, not saying a word to the older gunman as he passed.

Chris moved to the bar and ordered a whisky. He quickly drank it and put the shot glass back on the bar. Without turning the look at the younger man, he said, "You want to be care, son. Stir up enough trouble and you'll find yourself sharing a cell with the man you want to take in as your prisoner." Not waiting for a reply, Chris turned and walked away from the bar.

His mood wasn't helped any when Aaron met him at the door. "What was that about?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Chris replied shortly.

Aaron shrugged. He'd learned to respect his older brother's moods, and, at the moment, Chris was definitely in a bad mood. He reconsidered whether he should wait to inform Chris of his plans. No, he decided, now was as good a time as any.

"I need to talk to you for a minute."

Chris stopped and turned to look at Aaron. "Yeah?"

"I've decided it's time for me to leave town. I think I'm going to head west to San Francisco."

Chris nodded. "When you leavin'?" He couldn't say that he would be sorry to see his younger brother leave. His appearance in town had stirred up a lot of memories he would just as soon forget.

"I'm planning on taking the next stage."

Chris wasn't sure what to say to his brother. The next stage heading west left in two days. Rather than attempt to say anything, he nodded. "I'll see you off."

Chris decided he needed some time to himself before he did something he would regret. He also needed a stiff drink. Knowing it was unlikely he'd find the peace he was looking for at Inez's saloon, he made his way to Digger Dan's saloon. Digger Dan's drew a rougher clientele, who were less inclined to conversation than those who frequented the saloon where he and his fellow peacekeepers normally spent their time.

That was exactly where Judge Travis found him a couple of hours later. Chris had decided it was time to round up Sammy and Kevin and get them back to the boarding house for dinner. He had just tossed back the last of his drink when the older man joined him.

"You hear anything back from your telegrams yet?" Chris asked.

Judge Travis signaled the barman for a beer and sighed deeply. "I did. Turns out Michael Langdon is a deputy U.S. Marshall, but Martin isn't wanted for anything. At least he's not wanted for anything in Silver Springs. One of the telegrams I received back indicated that Langdon might be after him for personal vengeance."

Chris nodded. "That was the impression I got. I've never known a legitimate lawman who didn't have papers on the man he was after or so anxious to get his man out of town."

It was Judge Travis's turn to nod. He leaned back in his chair. "How are you going to handle it?"

"I'm going to get the guys, and we're going to run him out of town," Chris replied. He figured he could handle the problem on his own, but it was always better to have back up in those types of situations.

"Can't argue with you there. What about Martin?"

Chris shrugged. "I'll let him stew in jail for a while. Maybe he'll think twice about pickin' on a woman."

"Especially a young woman under your protection?" Judge Travis asked, knowing what the answer would be.

The smile that crossed Chris's face had sent more than one man running in fear. Judge Travis was secretly glad the intent behind it wasn't meant for him.

As the two men left Digger Dan's, Judge Travis turned to Chris. "Mary told me about what happened with Vin and the young school teacher. Have you heard any news?"

"Josiah came back a few days ago to let us know Miss Bishop would be fine. I expect them back any day now."

Ironically, just as Chris and Judge Travis were leaving Digger Dan's Saloon, Nathan, Vin, and Nancy Bishop rode into Four Corners. The riders split up when they reached the livery stable. Nathan, having taken the reins to Nancy's mare, Ebony, headed toward the stable, and Vin, with Nancy still riding in front of him, headed toward the Wilson boarding house where Nancy had taken a room. After reining the horse to a stop, Vin dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby hitching rail. He then reached up and pulled Nancy out of the saddle. Instead of lowering her to the ground, he shifted her weight, until he was holding her in his arms.

"Put me down," Nancy immediately protested, embarrassed at being carried into the building.

"Ain't nobody gonna think anything 'a me carryin' my woman into the boarding house after she's been injured," Vin responded as he mounted the steps to boarding house's front porch. He was sure everyone in town had heard the news about her injury and subsequent illness.

Nancy was speechless. Vin had called her his woman. She hadn't been expecting him to say that.

Mary was outside the general store when Vin rode up. Spotting them, she quickly hurried across the street to the Wilson house. She was close enough to hear Vin's comment about Nancy being his woman. Finally, she thought, her plan was going the way she wanted.

** THE END (or is it?) * *

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story. I'm going to end it here, but I will eventually come back to visit this M7 universe. Stay tuned for my next story – an NCIS/Bones cross-over that I should begin posting within the next few weeks. **


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